Tissue engineering is a major breakthrough in cardiovascular medicine that
holds amazing promise for the future of reconstructive surgical procedures. The three
main components used in creating a tissue engineered construct are: 1) a scaffold: used
to mimic the extracellular matrix, 2) a cell type: seeded to the scaffold to help with
biocompatibility and regeneration, and 3) cell signaling: communication between the
cells via biochemical, physio-chemical signaling. Our goal in this chapter is to review
the short history of organ and tissue regeneration, the advances in the regeneration
field, and the current state of vascular tissue engineering.
Keywords: Biodegradable scaffolds, Bone marrow mononuclear cell,
Cardiovascular disease, Cell seeding, Clinical trial, Congenital heart disease,
Coronary artery disease, Electrospinning, iPS cell, Pediatric cardiac surgery,
Peripheral artery disease, Single ventricle physiology, Stem cell, Tissue
engineering, Tissue-engineered vascular grafts, Total cavopulmonary connection,
Vasculature.
