Toward a new blood vessel

Strategies to treat atherosclerotic coronary artery disease include coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), in which grafts are used to bypass atherosclerotic vessels and restore blood flow to the ischemic myocardium. The grafts used include healthy arteries or veins harvested from a separate site. Results with arterial grafts have been superior to venous grafts; promoting the practice of total arterial revascularization using only arterial grafts. Suitable arterial grafts, however, are scarce and harvest procedures add to morbidity and cost. Tissue engineering combines the principles of engineering with life sciences for the development of biological substitutes and restore, maintain or improve tissue function. Advances in this field have included the development of tissue-engineered blood vessels, with the potential to serve as arterial grafts, conduits or fistulae. This review describes the history of tissue engineering arteries, the techniques used, and progress to date. The source of cells and the future direction of this field are explored.