Vienna University of Technology and Vienna Medical University researchers have created artificial blood vessels from a special elastomer material. To produce the vascular prostheses, polymer solutions were spun in an electrical field to form very fine threads and wound onto a spool. The prostheses can replace vessels that are blocked.
Over time, the artificial blood vessels are taken over by endogenous material. To encourage the migration of endogenous cells, the polymer fabric is slightly porous and initially allows a small amount of blood to permeate through. At the end of the restorative process, a natural, fully functional vessel is once again in place.
The new method has proved successful in experiments with rats. The rats' blood vessels were examined six months after insertion of the vascular prostheses; no aneurysms, thromboses or inflammation were found. Endogenous cells had colonized the vascular prostheses and turned the artificial constructs into natural body tissue.
The project was recently awarded PRIZE prototype funding from Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS). More preclinical trials are necessary before the artificial blood vessels can be used in humans.
