sounds great, but is it a good idea to use polymers inside the body? can't they degrade into sub-cellular sized particles which could then damage cells? And when those cells apoptose their insides come out, including the polymers and those polymers go on to damage another cell.
I've got a sneaking feeling that nanoparticles of plastic are going to be a major health problem in the future. I hope I'm wrong.
Hi, that's a good point, but given that the graft is made of biocompatible materials, the risk of toxicity is low. The idea is that while the engineered blood vessel degrades slowly, the body will replace it. So, the engineered vessel should be replaced by native blood vessel within a few years of implantation.
Depends whether they are inert. I suspect lack of internal UV light might help a bit. I'd reckon something breaking polymers down internally won't stop until the nanoparticles degrade.
I've got a sneaking feeling that nanoparticles of plastic are going to be a major health problem in the future. I hope I'm wrong.