Potential of baboon endothelial progenitor cells for tissue engineered vascular grafts.

Thrombosis and intimal hyperplasia limit the usefulness of small caliber vascular grafts. While some improvements have been reported for grafts seeded with mature endothelial cells (EC), the harvesting of ECs from autologous sources, for example, veins or adipose tissue, remains problematic. More recently, endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been considered a promising source of ECs because EPCs can be readily isolated from whole blood then rapidly expanded in vitro.

Bioscaffolds in tissue engineering: a rationale for use in the reconstruction of musculoskeletal soft tissues.

Bioscaffolds derived from animal tissues can be an appealing substrate to induce the formation of functional tissue (histogenesis) within the context of tissue engineering. Bioscaffolds obtained from the extracellular matrix not only contain collagen, which can provide mechanical support, but also include the required biologically active molecules that provide a stimulus for active tissue remodeling. Manufacturing, processing, and the tissue source of the biological scaffold affect the biologic outcome and are important in predicting the clinical results.

Long-term outcome for large meniscal defects treated with small intestinal submucosa in a dog model.

Background: Large meniscal defects are a common problem for which current treatment options are limited.

Hypothesis: Treatment of posterior medial meniscal defects in dogs with small intestinal submucosa is superior to partial meniscectomy in terms of clinical limb function, chondroprotection, and amount and type of new tissue in the defect.

Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.