Bioreactor mediated recellularization of natural and tissue engineered vascular grafts
AssigneeBio Science Consultants, L.L.C.
InventorLloyd Wolfinbarger
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Abstract
The invention provides a device and process for recellularizing essentially acellular or devitalized tissue grafts, including for example essentially acellular or devitalized vascular tissue grafts, derived from human or animal sources, or as constructed using any number of tissue engineering methodologies. The process includes repopulating and reendothelializing an essentially acellular or devitalized tissue graft. The device is useful for producing a repopulated tissue graft from an essentially acellular or devitalized tissue, as well as for producing an essentially acellular or devitalized tissue graft.
Claims42
A device for producing a recellularized, reendothelialized, vascular tissue graft comprising:
- a jacket having an interior;
- inlet and outlet plates removably attached to said jacket at opposed ends, said inlet and outlet plates adapted to removably retain the graft at opposed ends;
- an inlet port disposed in said inlet plate and an outlet port disposed in said outlet plate, said inlet and outlet ports in communication with the interior of said jacket and permitting the entry and exit of processing streams into and out of the luminal volume of the graft being retained in the device;
- and
- an inflatable piston adapted for insertion into the interior of said jacket and located to enter the luminal volume of the graft being retained in the device.
A device for producing a recellularized, reendothelialized, vascular tissue graft comprising:
- a jacket having an interior;
- inlet and outlet plates removably attached to said jacket at opposed ends, said inlet and outlet plates adapted to removably retain the graft at opposed ends;
- a first inlet port disposed in said inlet plate and a first outlet port disposed in said outlet plate, said inlet and outlet ports in communication with the interior of said jacket and permitting the entry and exit of processing streams into and out of the luminal volume of a graft retained in the device;
- a second inlet port and second outlet port disposed in said jacket arranged to be in communication with the external face of the graft;
- and
- a pulse-dampening device;
- wherein fluid is caused to exit from between said jacket and the external face of the graft via the second outlet port of said jacket to said pulse-dampening device.
A device for producing a tissue graft, comprising:
- a generally cylindrical body having an open top end and an open bottom end, and a first inlet port and a first outlet port;
- a top end cap comprising a second outlet port having a first diameter, said top end cap in removable communication with said top end of said body to form a liquid tight seal between said body and said top end cap;
- a bottom end cap comprising a second inlet port having a second diameter, said bottom end cap in removable communication with said bottom end of said body to form a liquid tight seal between said body and said bottom end cap;
- means for attaching a top end of a tubular tissue structure to said top end cap at a lower surface of said top end cap and for attaching a bottom end of a tubular tissue structure to said bottom end cap at an upper surface of said bottom end cap to form a tubular tissue structure continuous with the flow of solutions through the said device wherein the second inlet and outlet ports are provided in flow communication with the luminal volume of the tubular tissue structure and the first inlet and outlet ports are provided in flow communication with a volume defined by an interior of the body and external face of the tubular tissue structure;
- and
- an inflatable piston adapted for insertion into said body and located to enter the luminal volume of the tubular tissue structure being retained in the device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.