Vascularization of engineered tissues: Approaches to promote angiogenesis in biomaterials

Although there have been extensive research efforts to create functional tissues and organs, most successes in tissue engineering have been limited to avascular or thin tissues. The major hurdle in development of more complex tissues lies in the formation of vascular networks capable of delivering oxygen and nutrients throughout the engineered constructs. Sufficient neovascularization in scaffold materials can be achieved through coordinated application of angiogenic factors with proper cell types in biomaterials. This review present the current research developments in the design of biomaterials and their biochemical and biochemical modifications to produce vascularized tissue constructs.