Cardiac tissue engineering for the treatment of heart failure post-infarction

Cell-based therapy has become an attractive solution to the high incidence of heart failure post-infarction. Many current approaches to cell delivery post-infarction result in poor cell engraftment resulting in limited functional benefits. Thus, the use of engineered tissues to deliver cells to the injured myocardium or replace myocardium post infarction has been a topic of increasing interest. Tissue engineering provides a platform for the delivery of a large number of cells to the injured myocardium with high retention, allowing for in vitro development of cellular organization, intracellular communication and ECM deposition. This chapter will discuss the currently used methods to create engineered cardiac tissues, including scaffolds, cells, and cellular conditioning. This chapter will also review the efficacy of these patches in limiting left ventricular remodeling post-infarction in vivo.