Bioengineered Veins Offer New Hope On
Horizon For Patients Lacking Healthy
Veins For Coronary Bypass Surgery Or
Dialysis
2/3/2011
Source: West Mill Consulting
More than 500,000 patients could potentially benefit
from this new technology each
year
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Feb. 2, 2011 ・
The day when a surgeon can pull
a new human vein "off the shelf" for use
in life-saving vascular surgeries is now one
step closer to reality. New research published
in the current issue of the journal, Science
Translational Medicine, demonstrates
the efficacy of tissue-engineered vascular grafts
(TEVGs) that are immediately-available
at the time of surgery and have decreased
potential for infection, obstruction or clotting.
The bioengineering method of producing
veins reported in the newly-published research
shows promise in both large and small
diameter applications, such as
for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery
and
for vascular access in hemodialysis.
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Surgery
The American Heart Association Update
on Heart Disease Statistics reports that in 2007,
in the U.S., just over 400,000 coronary bypass
procedures were performed. Patients
requiring bypass surgery may not have
suitable veins or arteries available and
are not
candidates for synthetic grafts because of
the size needed for grafting.
"This new type of bioengineered vein allows
them to be easily stored in hospitals so
they are readily available to surgeons
at the time of need," said Alan P. Kypson, M.D.,
Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery,
Brody School of Medicine, at East
Carolina University, also an author
of the paper. "Currently, grafting using
the patient's own veins remains the gold
standard. But,
harvesting a vein from the patient's leg
canlead to complications, and for patients
who don 稚 have suitable veins,
the bioengineered veins could serve
as an important new way to provide a coronary
bypass."Kidney Hemodialysis According
to statistics published
by the National Kidney Foundation,
320,000 patients are on chronic hemodialysis.
Each year, 110,000 new patients
develop renal failure requiring dialysis,
and the number is growing
by three percent per year. More than half
of dialysis patients lack the healthy
veins necessary and must undergo an arteriovenous
graft (AV graft) placement in order to have bloodstream access for hemodialysis.
"Most AV grafts that are placed for hemodialysis access are comprised of a synthetic
material, which suffers from significant drawbacks including a high rate of infection, or
a propensity for occlusion due to thrombosis and intimal hyperplasia," said Jeffrey H.
Lawson, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Surgery at Duke University School of
Medicine and an author of the research. "Due to high complication rates, each AV
dialysis graft requires an average of 2.8 interventions over its lifetime just to keep it
functioning. Hence, there is a huge clinical need for a functionally superior, off-theshelf,
AV graft that suffers from fewer complications than current materials."
The research was conducted by scientists from Duke University, East Carolina
University, Yale University, and Humacyte, and was funded by Humacyte, a leader in
regenerative medicine. Overseeing the research and senior author of the article was
Laura Niklason, M.D., Ph.D., founder of Humacyte, and Professor of Anesthesiology
and of Biomedical Engineering at Yale University. Niklason is a recognized authority in
regenerative medicine for arterial engineering and was leader of the team that recently
created a functioning rat lung in a laboratory.
"Not only are bioengineered veins available at the time of patient need, but the ability to
generate a significant number of grafts from a cell bank will allow for a reduction in the
final production costs, as compared to other regenerative medicine strategies," added
lead author Shannon L. M. Dahl, Senior Director of Scientific Operations and Co-
Founder of Humacyte, Inc. "While there is still considerable research to be done before
a product is available for widespread use, we are highly encouraged by the results
outlined in this paper and eager to move forward with additional study," Dahl said.
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