The Arteriovenous (AV) Loop in a Small Animal Model to Study Angiogenesis and Vascularized Tissue EngineeringAnnika Weigand 1, Justus P. Beier 1, Andreas Arkudas 1, Majida Al-Abboodi 1,2, Elias Polykandriotis 3, Raymund E. Horch 1, Anja M. Boos 1
1Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery and Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 2Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Institute for Postgraduate Studies, Baghdad University, 3Department of Plastic, Hand and Microsurgery, Sana Klinikum Hof GmbH
We describe a microsurgical approach for the generation of an arteriovenous (AV) loop as a model for analyzing vascularization in vivo in an isolated and well-characterized environment. This model is not only useful for the investigation of angiogenesis, but is also optimally suited for engineering axially vascularized and transplantable tissues.
