Tissue Engineered Heart Valves Develop Native-Like Collagen Architecture

Over the last few years, research interest in tissue engineering as an alternative for current treatment and replacement strategies for cardiovascular and heart valve diseases has significantly increased. For a tissue engineered heart valve to be functional, it should be able to withstand the high pressures and flows that occur in vivo. Nature’s solution for this challenge can be found in the complex collagen fiber architecture of the native aortic valve (Fig. 1).