Tissue engineering in the cardiovascular system: Progress toward a tissue engineered heart

Achieving the lofty goal of developing a tissue engineered heart will likel y rely on progress in engineering the various components: blood vessels, he art valves, and cardiac muscle. Advances in tissue engineered vascular graf ts have shown the most progress to date. Research in tissue-engineered vasc ular grafts has focused on improving scaffold design, including mechanical properties and bioactivity; genetically engineering cells to improve graft performance; and optimizing tissue formation through in vitro mechanical co nditioning. Some of these same approaches have been used in developing tiss ue engineering heart valves and cardiac muscle as well. Continued advances in scaffold technology and a greater understanding of vascular cell biology along with collaboration among engineers, scientists, and physicians will lead to further progress in the field of cardiovascular tissue engineering and ultimately the development of a tissue-engineered heart. Anat Rec 263:3 67-371, 2001. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.