A patch for cardiac tissue engineering includes a gel layer supported by
an intermediate layer, which is attached to a reinforcement layer. These
patches may be implanted in a heart to treat pediatric congenital
malformations of the heart as well as adult ischemic myopathies. The gel
layer may include cells such as, for example, stem cells; the
intermediate layer may be biodegradable porous mesh and the reinforcement
layer may be polytetrafluoroethylene. Included are methods for making
patches according to the invention and for tissue engineering using
patches of the invention.