We are working to build blood vessels in the laboratory that can replace diseased or damaged vessels. For example, they could be used for bypass surgery. Instead of harvesting a vessel from the patient's body, one could be grown in the lab from his own cells.

Another potential use is for dialysis patients. Easy access to the bloodstream is vital for this procedure. In most cases a fistula is created by surgically connecting an artery and vein in the arm. Creating a fistula is difficult in many patients because they have diseased vessels. Synthetic vessels are an option, but they are prone to infection and need to be replaced often. A laboratory-grown vessel could help solve that problem.

Engineered vessels are constructed using a tubular scaffold, which is the building block of the new vessel. A patient’s own cells can be grown on the scaffold. The process would start with collecting a type of stem cell from a sample of the patient’s blood. From these stem cells, we would grow endothelial cells in the lab (these are the cells that line blood vessels and prevent clots). Once there are enough cells, we would place them on the scaffold and then place the engineered vessel in a bioreactor system to acclimate it to the conditions of the human body.

See an engineered vessel.