Structure, function, and development of blood vessels: Lessons for tissue engineering

Abstract

The establishment of blood vessel networks is a matter of life and death for tissues and organisms. Failure to form a functional vascular network causes early death of embryos, and also dysfunction of endothelial cells (ECs) contributes to many diseases, including stroke, thrombosis, and atherosclerosis. Furthermore, there is a considerable clinical need for alternatives to the autologous vein and artery tissues used for vascular reconstructive surgeries such as lower limb bypass, arteriovenous shunts, and repairs of congenital defects to the pulmonary outflow tract. So far, synthetic materials, particularly in small-diameter applications, have not matched the efficacy of native tissues.