Hybrid Artificial Blood Vessels

In the past, many materials have been tested to see if they would be able to replace a real blood vessel. Such materials include glass, aluminum, polyethylene, siliconized rubber, vinyon, Teflon, and Dacron. Of these materials, Teflon and Dacron have yielded the best results, but I will be focusing on Dacron.
It has been found that artificial blood vessels made of Dacron work extremely well provided that the vessel has a large radius. The problem with Dacron vessels is that as they are shrunk to smaller and smaller radii, they become more and more thrombogenic due to the somewhat rough nature of Dacron.
In 1990 however, a bio-research company out of Massachusetts called Organogenesis began animal testing of their "hybrid" Dacron vessels. In an attempt to solve the thrombogenic problem caused by small Dacron vessels, Organogenesis worked out a way to harvest endothelial cells from human cadaver arteries, grow them in a laboratory, and mold them on to the inner lining of small Dacron vessels. This makes the inner lining of the vessel much smoother and decreases the chance of a small Dacron vessel forming clots.
I found this article interesting because it represents where the field of bioengineering is headed: closer and closer to a blurry distinction between what is real and what is not. I find it fascinating to think of the health benefits that can result from applications of bioengineering. However, I cannot help but be mindful of the ethical issues that will arise from further hybridizations in the future.

The article can be found at: http://www.discoveriesinmedicine.com/Apg-Ban/Artificial-Blood-Vessels.html

Daniel Verona