New methods for producing tissue engineered constructs and engineered native
tissues are disclosed. The methods include producing a tissue engineered construct
by growing cells in vitro on a substrate and then decellularizing the construct
to produce a decellularized construct consisting largely of extracellular matrix
components. The construct can be used immediately or stored until needed. The decellularized
construct can be used for further tissue engineering, which may include seeding
the construct with cells obtained from the intended recipient of the construct.
During any of the growth phases required for production of the construct, the developing
construct may be subjected to various tissue engineering steps such as application
of mechanical stimuli including pulsatile forces. The methods also include producing
an engineered native tissue by harvesting tissue from an animal or human, performing
one or more tissue engineering steps on the tissue, and subjecting the tissue to
decellularization. The decellularized, engineered native tissue may then be subjected
to further tissue engineering steps.