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Blood access is a lifeline for dialysis patients. However, serious problems such as stenosis or obstruction of access blood vessels, which are life-threatening conditions in daily clinical practice, still remain. One of the most promising candidates for solving these problems may be Biotube blood vessels. More than 20 years have passed since the development of in-body tissue architecture (iBTA), a technology for preparing tissues for autologous implantation in patients. The tissues obtained by iBTA do not elicit immunological rejection, which is one of the ultimate goals of regenerative medical engineering; however, their practical applications were quite challenging. The seemingly unorthodox iBTA concepts that do not follow the current pre-established medical system may not be readily accepted in general medicine. In contrast, there are many diseases that cannot be adequately addressed even with the latest and most advanced medical technology. However, iBTA may be able to save patients with serious diseases. It is natural that the development of high-risk medical devices that do not fit the corporate logic would be avoided. In order to actively treat such largely unattached diseases, we started Biotube Co., Ltd. with an aim to contribute to society. Biotubes induced by iBTA are collagenous tubular tissues prepared in the patient’s body for autologous implantation. The application of Biotubes as tissues for vascular implantation has been studied for many years. Biotubes may have excellent potential as small-diameter artificial blood vessels, one of the most difficult to clinically achieve. Their possibility is currently being confirmed in preclinical tests. Biotubes may save hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide annually from amputation. In addition, we aim to eliminate the recuring access vascular problems in millions of dialysis patients. This study provides an update on the current development status and future possibilities of Biotubes and their preparation molds, Biotube Makers.

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Background Anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery is a congenital heart disease in which myocardial ischemia occurs within 1 year of birth. Adults have been reported to survive owing to the development of collateral perfusion from right coronary artery. In these cases, however, revascularization is necessary to prevent sudden cardiac death. Case presentation A 62-year-old female gradually started experiencing dyspnea during exercise. Coronary computed tomography revealed that the left coronary artery arose from the main pulmonary artery. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with adult-type, anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery. She underwent a surgery, in which a 6-mm vascular prosthesis was passed through the main pulmonary artery to anastomose the left coronary artery and ascending aorta. Conclusion Our reconstructive technique using vascular prosthesis is effective for anomalous left coronary artery from pulmonary artery in adults.