Off-the-shelf, heparinized small diameter vascular graft limits acute thrombogenicity in a porcine model.

Thrombogenicity poses a challenge to the clinical translation of engineered grafts. Previously, small-diameter vascular grafts (sdVG) composed of fibrin hydrogel microfiber tubes (FMT) with an external poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) sheath supported long-term patency in mice. Towards the development of an sdVG with off-the-shelf availability, the FMT's shelf stability, scale-up, and successful conjugation of an antithrombotic drug to the fibrin scaffold are reported here.

Enhanced Adhesion of Stromal Cells to Invasive Cancer Cells Regulated by Cadherin 11.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are known to promote tumor growth and metastasis; however their differential accumulation in invasive and noninvasive tumors is not fully understood. We hypothesized that differences in cell adhesion may contribute to this phenomenon. To test this, we analyzed the adhesion of CAF-precursor fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells to invasive and noninvasive cancers originating from the the breast, ovaries, and prostate.