Three dimensional construct for the design and fabrication of physiological fluidic networks
AssigneeThe General Hospital Corporation
InventorsJoseph Vacanti, Jeffrey Borenstein, Mohammad Kaazempur-Mofrad, Eli Weinberg
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Abstract
The present invention relates to methods for the design and fabrication of biological constructs, such as organ simulants or organ replacements, which contain complex microfluidic architecture. Designs of the present invention provide increased space in the lateral dimension, enabling a large number of small channels for small vessels.
Claims19
A method of modeling and designing a physiologically based fluidic network, comprising the steps of:
- generating an initial design in node-vessel format by stacking two-dimensional layers comprised of vessels connected by nodes and interconnecting the layers with vertical vessels to create a three-dimensional design;
- translating the initial design from node-vessel format into a set of matrix equations relating a pressure and a resistance for each vessel, thereby defining flow behavior in the network;
- setting constraints on the set of matrix equations and determining a flow rate in each vessel;
- solving the set of matrix equations for the pressure and resistance of each vessel based on the flow rate in each vessel and the constraints;
- and
- determining a geometry of each vessel on the basis of the corresponding resistance, thereby defining the network.
A composition comprising a physiological fluidic network having stacked, two-dimensional layers comprised of blood vessels, wherein small and/or midsized vessels in one layer are vertically connected to small and/or midsized vessels in at least one additional layer by vertical links.
A method of forming a fluidic network comprising the steps of:
- stacking two dimensional layers comprised of small and/or midsized vessels;
- and
- connecting said vessels within one layer to at least one additional layer with vertical links.
A composition comprising a tissue engineered construct, wherein the small blood vessel capacity is at least about 10,000 capillaries/cc and the distance between small blood vessels is less than about 200 microns.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.