TERMIS 2021 | Technological advances in human acellular vessels

Laura Niklason, MD, PhD, Yale University, New Haven, CT & Humacyte, Durham, NC, provides an overview of the development process of human acellular vessels (HAVs). Initial autologous approaches to create blood vessels from animal sources proved unsuitable for clinical translation, and a novel method of decellularizing smooth muscle cells on a scaffold have demonstrated success in a number of patients. HAVs have proven to be non-immunogenic and have a long shelf life of 18 months, representing a promising therapy for patients who require vascular grafts. This interview took place at the 6th World Congress of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS 2021).