Researchers at the University of Melbourne and Monash University have developed a fast, inexpensive and scalable tissue engineering method for creating the complex geometries of blood vessels.
Illness and dysfunction in blood vessels can result in life-threatening disorders such as heart attacks, strokes and aneurysms, making cardiovascular disease the number one killer globally, according to University of Melbourne associate professor Daniel Heath. “Current methods are slow and require specialized and expensive equipment like bioreactors and a supply of engineered vessels.”
Tissue-engineered blood vessels
To overcome these limitations, the researchers investigated developing "tissue-engineered" blood vessels made from human cells and tissues. These newly created vessels have the potential to treat cardiovascular illness, as well as construct built-in blood supply for larger tissue creations.
“We are now able to rapidly and cheaply manufacture blood vessels using living tissue that has appropriate mechanical properties and mimics the cellular orientation of the innermost layer of blood vessels," University of Melbourne Professor O’Connor said.
“While [these] are not yet ready for bypass surgery, the findings mark a significant advancement in the field of tissue engineering.”
Read more in Pursuit: "We're closer to engineering blood vessels."
Citation: ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023, 15, 29, 34631–34641. July 13, 2023. Spontaneous Orthogonal Alignment of Smooth Muscle Cells and Endothelial Cells Captures Native Blood Vessel Morphology in Tissue-Engineered Vascular Grafts, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c08511