CANBERRA (Dispatches) -- A team of international scientists has developed the technology to create blood vessels with a high degree of similarity to the complex structure of naturally occurring blood vessels.
The team of researchers led by the University of Sydney has succeeded in creating the complex structure of biological tissues so that they not only have the potential to manufacture blood vessels to assist in surgery, but also set the scene for the future creation of other synthetic tissues such as heart valves.
The walls of natural blood vessels comprise a series of concentric rings of elastin (a protein that gives vessels elasticity and the ability to stretch)- like nesting dolls. That makes the rings elastic, which allows blood vessels to expand and contract with blood flow.The new technology means that, for the first time, these important concentric elastin rings can develop naturally within the walls of implanted tubes.
Synthetic materials used for surgery , are lengthy, complex and expensive. However, the new manufacturing process is swift and well-defined. This is because they are manufactured from just two naturally occurring materials that are well-tolerated by the body.