Polymer-based scaffold designs for in situ vascular tissue engineering : controlling recruitment and differentiation behavior of endothelial colony forming cells

In situ vascular tissue engineering has been proposed as a promising approach to fulfill the need for small-diameter blood vessel substitutes. The approach comprises the use of a cell-free instructive scaffold to guide and control cell recruitment, differentiation, and tissue formation at the locus of implantation. Here we review the design parameters for such scaffolds, with special emphasis on differentiation of recruited ECFCs into the different lineages that constitute the vessel wall. Next to defining the target properties of the vessel, we concentrate on the target cell source, the ECFCs, and on the environmental control of the fate of these cells within the scaffold. The prospects of the approach are discussed in the light of current technical and biological hurdles.