Scaffolds in Vascular Tissue Engineering Research

Abstract

Scaffolds represent one of the key components in the tissue engineering triad. Construction of a vascular graft begins with the scaffold that acts as the base building material. Whether natural or synthetic, selecting the right scaffold material is essential to ensure the structural integrity of a graft. The structural integrity could further be strengthened with the addition of cells and regulatory signals that make up the whole tissue engineering triad. In this chapter, a selection of scaffold materials is discussed, and cell seeding strategies are later elaborated, covering the principle of the tissue engineering triad in vascular research.