Advanced Therapies Week 2022 | The development of human acellular vessels and its advantages

Alan Kypson, MD, FACS, UNC REX Hospital, Raleigh, NC, provides an overview of the manufacturing process of human acellular vessels (HAVs) and their advantages in the clinical setting. The production of HAVs begin with the application of banked human vascular smooth muscle cells on a tubular mesh scaffold which is subsequently placed in a bioreactor. As the mesh degrades, the extracellular matrix remains and decellularization enables the HAV to be non-immunogenic. Dr Kypson highlights additional advantages including the large-scale manufacturing capabilities of HAVs, as well as their off-the-shelf nature. This interview took place at Advanced Therapies Week 2022.