One of the challenges for the bioengineering of arteries is getting an implant with the features of the original healthy artery. The decellularization of an artery from a donor organism followed by a recellularization of the matrix scaffold with cells from the receptor organism is a promising technique. Thus, the implant can maintain the original physical properties, which largely proceed from the extracellular matrix, as well as the receptor cellular features, because they find a favorable environment for an optimal functional phenotype. The risk of immune rejection is also avoided.
A difficulty still to be overcome is the thrombogenic risk of the implants, by which it is important achieve an appropriate endotelial recellularization of the implant.
This project aims to explore different strategies of decellularization which allow the functional recellularization of the endothelium.
This project is leaded by PhD. Elisabet Sarri on the framework of the research line in Mechanisms of tissue repair and regeneration of the TR2Lab.
Preliminary results were been part of the degree thesis of:
