A Review on Biomaterial Design for Vascular Tissue Engineering Applications.

ABSTRACT

Biomaterials play a critical role in the success of tissue engineering approaches as they guide theshape and structure of developing tissues, provide mechanical stability, and present opportunities to deliver inductive molecules to transplanted or migrating cells. Therefore, the selection of theappropriate biomaterial can have a profound impact on the quality of newly formed tissue. A major challenge facing the field of tissue engineering is the development or identification of materialscapable of promoting the desired cellular and tissue behaviour. Given that few biomaterials possess all the necessary characteristics to perform ideally, engineers and clinicians alike have pursued thedevelopment of hybrid or composite biomaterials to synergize the beneficial properties of multiplematerials into a superior matrix.The combination of natural and synthetic polymers with variousother materials has demonstrated the ability to enhance various properties required for tissue engineering. In this review, we have made an attempt to review artificial components such as polymers, and strategies to design a composite which offer the desired physical properties. We also discuss synthesis methods for designer biomaterialsand its applications in vascular tissue engineering. The continued development andimplementation of hybrid biomaterials will lead to further successes in tissue engineering andregenerative medicine.The articles written with this goal in mind are by no meansexhaustive and are only intended to stimulate the community tothink more broadly about biomaterial composites and their designing.