Rational design of an improved tissue-engineered vascular graft: determining the optimal cell dose and incubation time.

Aim: We investigated the effect of cell seeding dose and incubation time on tissue-engineered vascular graft (TEVG) patency.
Materials & Methods: Various doses of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs) were seeded onto TEVGs, incubated for 0 or 12 h, and implanted in C57BL/6 mice. Different doses of human BM-MNCs were seeded onto TEVGs and measured for cell attachment.
Results: The incubation time showed no significant effect on TEVG patency. However, TEVG patency was significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner. In the human graft, more bone marrow used for seeding resulted in increased cell attachment in a dose-dependent manner.
Conclusion: Increasing the BM-MNC dose and reducing incubation time is a viable strategy for improving the performance and utility of the graft.
Competing Interests: Financial & competing interests disclosure This research was supported by R01-HL098228 (C Breuer). C Breuer and T Shinoka have received grant support from the Pall Corporation and Gunze Limited. All authors have read the journals policy on conflict of interest. C Breuer and T Shinoka have patents related to the TEVG. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.