June 19, 2007 at 11:38 AM
Graft for heart, kidney treatment createdPITTSBURGH, June 19 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have successfully engineered artificial blood vessels from muscle-derived stem cells for heart and kidney treatments.
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine investigators said they used a biodegradable polymer that exhibits extensive remodeling and remains free of blockages when grafted into rats. The result has potentially significant implications for the treatment of heart and kidney diseases in which there's a critical need for new sources of blood vessels for vascular grafts.
The team, led by Associate Professor David Vorp, developed its vascular graft by "bulk seeding," or spraying muscle derived stem cells inside a biodegradable porous, tubular polyester urethane scaffold using a rotational vacuum seeding device.
After culturing the vascular constructs for seven days, the investigators then implanted them in the abdominal aortas of rats eight weeks before performing tests to determine how well the grafts had performed. The cell-seeded constructs showed a significantly higher blockage-free rate than unseeded controls. In addition, there was extensive remodeling of the polymer by surrounding tissue, exhibiting tissue formation consistent with a mature artery.
The study is available in pdf format at:
http://www.regenerate-online.com/abstracts/1172.pdf.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/06/19/graft_for_heart_kidney_treatment_created/4461/
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