The Role of Tissue Engineered Products in Cardiac Regeneration - Current Trends and Future Direction

This paper aims to talk about current tissue engineered (TE)valves in clinical use.As TE valves are still considered unconventional, bioprosthetic and mechanical valves will also be discussed in this literature review.This will also be done to exemplify how TE valves overcome the faults of the pre-existing, more common valves.Tissue engineering has been acknowledged as a viable method for decades.Over the years, many in vitro experiments and clinical animal trials have been carried out, showing promising results.Although there are numerous TE products on the market which are successful upon implantation, it has been challenging to develop a TE heart valve that has longevity within a patient's body and does not deteriorate due to mechanical wear.Several clinical trials using TE heart valves, have ended in failure.However, the unique and desirable properties offered by these valves, namely the fact that they are highly biologically compatible with the physiological make-up of humans, combats the issues posed by the valves currently available, and makes their further exploration, vital.