Overcoming Vascular Graft Challenges in Tissue Engineering: A Review

The development of patient-specific vascular constructs is essential for advancing clinically effective 3D-bioprinted and tissue-engineered grafts. Optimizing cellular composition and promoting robust vascularization within engineered tissues is important for building an effective vascular construct. In cardiac and vascular patches in particular, insufficient microvascular development often leads to diffusion limitations, ischemia, and eventual necrosis, representing a major barrier to clinical translation. This review examines the challenges of designing constructs that are both anatomically functional and adequately vascularized. We discuss current strategies for tailoring cell ratios and enhancing vascular maturation, as well as emerging technologies in bioprinting, biomaterials, and computational design. Together, these innovations highlight future directions for creating grafts capable of functional integration and long-term survival in patients.