Nondestructive method to evaluate the collagen content of fibrin-based tissue engineered structures via ultrasound.

In the field of tissue engineering, there is a growing need for quantitative methods to analyze in situ and in real time the tissue development in three-dimensional scaffolds. To evaluate the performance of cell-gel constructs in terms of extracellular matrix synthesis, we are still restricted to time-consuming histological and biochemical assays that are not able, as a destructive method, to monitor the tissue formation online. Ultrasound is a well-known noninvasive and nondestructive imaging method.

Autologous valve replacement-CD133+ stem cell-plus-fibrin composite-based sprayed cell seeding for intraoperative heart valve tissue engineering.

Objective: The development of biological valve prostheses with lifetime native-like performance and optimal host engraftment is an ultimate goal of heart valve tissue engineering. We describe a new concept for autologous graft coating based on a CD133(+)-stem-cells-plus-fibrin (SC+F) complex processed from bone marrow and peripheral blood of a single patient.

Methods: CD133(+)-SC (1 × 10(6) cells/mL) from human bone marrow and autologous fibrin (20 mg/mL) were administered simultaneously via spray administration using the novel Vivostat Co-Delivery System.