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Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering strategies have made remarkable progress in remodeling, replacing, and regenerating damaged cardiovascular tissues. The design of three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds with appropriate biochemical and mechanical characteristics is critical for engineering tissue-engineered replacements. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a dynamic scaffolding structure characterized by tissue-specific biochemical, biophysical, and mechanical properties that modulates cellular behavior and activates highly regulated signaling pathways. In light of technological advancements, biomaterial-based scaffolds have been developed that better mimic physiological ECM properties, provide signaling cues that modulate cellular behavior, and form functional tissues and organs. In this review, we summarize the in vitro, pre-clinical, and clinical research models that have been employed in the design of ECM-based biomaterials for cardiovascular regenerative medicine. We highlight the research advancements in the incorporation of ECM components into biomaterial-based scaffolds, the engineering of increasingly complex structures using biofabrication and spatial patterning techniques, the regulation of ECMs on vascular differentiation and function, and the translation of ECM-based scaffolds for vascular graft applications. Finally, we discuss the challenges, future perspectives, and directions in the design of next-generation ECM-based biomaterials for cardiovascular tissue engineering and clinical translation.
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Sacrificial strategy towards the formation of vascular‐like networks in volumetric tissue constructs
Abstract The fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have made astounding progress in recent years, evidenced by cutting‐edge 4D printing technologies, precise gene editing tools, and sustained long‐term functionality of engineered tissue grafts. Despite these fantastic feats, the clinical success of tissue‐engineered constructs so far remains limited to only those relatively simple types of tissues such as thin bilayer skin equivalents or avascular cartilage. On the other hand, volumetric tissues (larger than a few millimeters in all dimensions), which are highly desirable for clinical utility, suffer from poor oxygen supply due to limited dimensional diffusion. Notably, large, complex tissues typically require a vascular network to supply the growing cells with nutrients for metabolic demands to prolong viability and support tissue formation. In recognition, extensive efforts have been made to create vascular‐like networks in order to facilitate mass exchange through volumetric scaffolds. This review underlines the urgent need for continued research to create more complex and functional vascular networks, which is crucial for generating viable volumetric tissues, and highlights the recent advances in sacrificial template‐enabled formation of vascular‐like networks.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2219014
- PAR ID:
- 10614460
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- BMEMat
- Volume:
- 3
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2751-7438
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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