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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2015 Dec 8;16(3):317–330. doi: 10.1517/14712598.2016.1118460

Table 2.

Advantages and disadvantages of various cell sourcing in clinical utility

Mature Vascular Cells Adult Stem Cells ESCs iPSCs
Advantage Disadvantage Advantage Disadvantage Advantage Disadvantage Advantage Disadvantage
Isolation methodology Easy - Easy - - Ethnical Concerns - Reprogramming Safety
Extracted Cells Numbers - Limited - Limited Unlimited - Unlimited -
Xenogeneic Serum Exposure - Yes in situ: No in vitro: Yes No - No -
SMC Contractile Function and ECM Secretion Ability - Limited - Limited Unlimited - Unlimited -
Patient-Specific Yes - Yes - - No Yes -
SMC Lineage Specific Yes - - No Yes - Yes -
Genomic Mutation Correction Capability - No - No Yes - Yes -
Key Steps for TEVGs Construction

  1. Vascular cells isolation

  2. Expansion

  3. Cell seeding

 in situ:

  1. Stem cell isolation

  2. Cell seeding


in vitro:

  1. Stem cell isolation

  2. SMC differentiation

  3. Cell seeding

  1. SMC differentiation

  2. Cell seeding

  1. iPSCs reprogramming

  2. SMC differentiation

  3. Cell seeding

Abbreviations: ECM, extracellular matrix; ESCs, embryonic stem cells; iPSCs, induced pluripotent stem cells; SMC, smooth muscle cells; TEVG, tissue-engineered vascular grafts

Definitions: Limited, limitations due to age and health status; Unlimited, no limitations since ESCs and iPSCs have unlimited self-renewal and full differentiation capabilities.