Microfabrication and in vivo testing of small-diameter tissue-engineered vascular grafts
More than two million people are living in the UK with coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease occurs when the vessels supplying blood to the heart – the coronary arteries – become narrowed or blocked by fatty plaques. A common treatment for this disease is coronary artery bypass surgery. This involves using a piece of vein or artery from another part of the body to bypass the blocked area, restoring blood flow and reducing the risk of a heart attack. This surgery is a long-established technique and very safe, but many grafted vessels fail after several years and mean that people need further treatment. Professor Paolo Madeddu and his team are working to find a better solution by building vessel grafts in the lab. This study will test whether it is possible to create innovative artificial blood vessels, using natural molecules found in humans to make strong but flexible tubes. Blood vessel cells will be grown within these tubes, creating bio-engineered vessels which mimic real coronary arteries. The team will then monitor whether the cells in these artificial vessels can survive and behave normally. If this proves successful, the researchers will seek funding to continue to test these artificial vessels, with the aim of using the vessels to improve the long-term success of bypass surgery in people with coronary heart disease.
Project details
| Grant amount | 131856.16 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 15 November 2018 |
| Duration | 2 years |
| Reference | PG/18/38/33707 |
| Status | In Progress |
