Dear Colleagues,

Vascular disorders, including coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral artery disease (PAD), cerebrovascular disease (CeVD) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD), represent the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Specifically, more than 800,000 bypass surgeries are performed and more than 17 million people are dying due to the complications of vascular disease each year.

The treatment of vascular disorders involves therapeutic approaches, utilizing pharmaceutical agents, bypass surgeries (e.g., the use of either autologous or synthetic vascular grafts) and others, aiming to extend the lifespan of patients. In the last century, advanced approaches for vascular disease prevention have also been proposed, including strategies combining stem cells with tissue-engineering approaches.

Stem cells are characterized by specific differentiation as well as migratory and immunoregulatory properties, and therefore can be a valuable tool for vascular tissue restoration and regeneration. Currently, cellular therapies utilizing specific cellular populations such as the tissue-derived stem cells (TDSCs), mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), somatic cells (e.g., endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells) can be combined efficiently with 3D tubular scaffolds to form advanced vascular grafts. Aside from the above strategies, modern approaches also include the utilization of cell-free strategies such as exosomes, conditioned medium, and cell lysates to further promote vascular regeneration. It has been shown that specific signaling cues and pathways are well-regulated through the use of the proposed cell-free strategies, and can lead to the activation of specific intracellular proteins such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and nuclear-factor kappa B (NF-kB) as well as transcription factors such as CREB, E2F, and p38. The latter events could drive the differentiation of the tissue-resident cells, stem cell migration, and wound healing acceleration, contributing to the vascular regeneration process.

I am glad to present the current Special Issue entitled “Stem Cells for Vascular Tissue Engineering”. This collection of articles will include original research articles, opinion articles and comprehensive reviews related to the most relevant and state-of-the-art research on Stem Cells for Vascular Tissue Engineering.

Dr. Michalis P. Katsimpoulas
Prof. Dr. Sotirios Korossis
Dr. Michail Peroulis
Guest Editors

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• cardiovascular disease
• peripheral artery disease
• mesenchymal stromal cells
• scaffolds
• exosomes