Bioprinting of hierarchically branching microvascular networks

Abstract

A challenge to the clinical viability of large-scale tissue engineering is being able to perfuse entire constructs with blood supply that persists long-term. To accomplish this, tissue engineering needs to replicate the hierarchically branching networks of microvasculature that distribute homogeneous blood supply from arteries to capillary beds in natural tissues. Chaotic Printing can be adapted to extruding wide sheets of hydrogel containing hierarchically branching layers of multiple cell types that are native to vascular tissue. An in vitro “prevascularization” period can allow these cells to form into hollow tubular structures that mimic native microvasculature and can be perfused with blood supply. These prevascularized sheets can then be implanted in a subject to integrate with native arteries and veins and perfuse injured tissue with new blood supply.

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