Tissue engineering of blood vessels and heart valves

Currently, there is an urgent need for vascular prostheses, having identical properties of different human native arteries. Rapidly developing in the last decade tissue engineering is able to offer alternative ways. Created by tissue engineering methods “artificial” artery must meet all the requirements for vascular substitutes today: biocompatibility and biostability, thromboresistance, infection resistance, zero surgical fenestration; and have optimal mechanical properties such as strength, elasticity flexibility and vasoactivity. Nowadays, none of the alternatives possess these qualities at full extend. Currently, our work is aimed to achieve complete removal of cells and their residues (cell debris) with minimal damage to the extracellular matrix of the vessel. In this regard, Group of Tissue engineering of Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics continues to pursue new methods of cell removal from native tissues. As a result of testing of different variants of protocols, an original method has been developed. At the same time research work aimed at practicing this method and developing new alternatives is being carried out.