Engineered biografts for repair of damaged myocardium

Abstract

A method for repairing a damaged myocardium in a mammal, comprising: a) providing a three-dimensional porous polysaccharide matrix; b) introducing mammalian cells into said matrix; c) growing said cells in said matrix in vitro, until a tissue-engineered biograft is formed, comprising a contracting tissue; and d) transplanting the tissue-engineered biograft onto the myocardial tissue or myocardial scar tissue of said mammal, optionally previously removing scar or dead tissue from the site of implantation.

1 - 17 . (canceled)  
     
     
         18 . A tissue-engineered cardiac biograft for transplantation into myocardial tissue or myocardial scar tissue, comprising: 
 a porous polysaccharide matrix comprising controlled-release polymeric microspheres capable of releasing soluble angiogenic growth factors, wherein said matrix is non-adhesive; and    mammalian cells comprising fetal, autologous, or allogeneic cardiomyocytes alone or in combination with at least one of fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, or endothelial cells that are fetal, autologous, or allogeneic;    wherein said cells have been cultured in said matrix in vitro and the cells form a multicellular aggregate.    
     
     
         19 . A tissue-engineered cardiac biograft according to  claim 18 , wherein said polysaccharide is an alginate.  
     
     
         20 . A tissue engineered biograft according to  claim 18 , wherein said cardiomyocytes are fetal cardiomyocytes, neonatal cardiomyocytes, or adult cardiac cells.  
     
     
         21 . A method of preparing a three-dimensional tissue-engineered biograft comprising: 
 a) providing a porous polysaccharide matrix comprising microspheres capable of releasing soluble angiogenic growth factors, wherein said matrix is non-adhesive; and    b) co-culturing the porous polysaccharide matrix in vitro with fetal, autologous, or allogeneic mammalian cells comprising cardiomyocytes alone or in combination with at least one of fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, or endothelial cells that are fetal, autologous, or allogeneic, until a cardiac-like tissue is formed, comprising a tissue-engineered biograft.    
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the porous polysaccharide matrix comprises an alginate polysaccharide.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the porous polysaccharide matrix generates a scaffold.  
     
     
         24 . A method according to  claim 21 , wherein said cardiomyocytes are fetal cardiomyocytes, neonatal cardiomyocytes, or adult cardiac cells.