Abrielle Krouse

A scaffold that learns to be a vessel Heart surgeons still reach for a patient’s own veins or arteries when they need to reroute blood around blocked coronary vessels. That approach works—until those native vessels are too short, too damaged, or simply unavailable. For decades, the search for a ready-made substitute that can survive the high-pressure, constantly flexing environment of the heart has been a stubborn puzzle.

Abstract Coronary artery bypass grafting remains the standard of care for complex coronary artery disease; however, outcomes are limited by failure or lack of suitable native vessels. Tissue-engineered vascular grafts have shown promise in peripheral applications, yet durable performance in coronary circulation remains unmet.