摘要 |
Tissue engineering holds enormous potential to replace or restore function to a wide range of tissues. However, the most successful applications have been limited to thin avascular tissues in which delivery of essential nutrients occurs primarily by diffusion. Pursuant to the present invention, a prevascularized, thick tissue construct is created having a network of capillaries with lumens capable of nutrient and origin delivery and forming anastamoses to host vasculature. A tissue transplantation strategy is comprised of (1) in vitro vascularization of a tisue construct, (2) transplantation of prevascularized tissue to wound bed of host where vessels of implantable tissue and host rapidly anastomose, and (3) host-directed remodeling and reorganization of the tissue and vascular network.
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