Engineers grow 3D bioprinted blood vessel

Date:
August 17, 2021
Source:
Texas A&M University
Summary:
Scientists have designed a 3D-bioprinted model of a blood vessel
that mimics its state of health and disease, thus paving the way
for possible cardiovascular drug advancements with better precision.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A team in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, co-led by associate professor Dr. Akhilesh Gaharwar and assistant professor Dr. Abhishek Jain,
has designed a 3D-bioprinted model of a blood vessel that mimics its state
of health and disease, thus paving the way for possible cardiovascular
drug advancements with better precision.


========================================================================== Vascular diseases such as aneurysms, peripheral artery disease and clots
inside blood vessels account for 31% of global deaths. Despite this
clinical burden, cardiovascular drug advancements have slowed over the
past 20 years. The decrease in cardiovascular therapeutic development is attributed to the lack of efficiency in converting possible treatments
into approved methods, specifically due to the discrepancy between
studies that take place outside the body compared to inside.

The team's research at Texas A&M University aims to remodel current methodologies to minimize this gap and improve the translatability
of these techniques by directing 3D bioprinting toward vascular
medicine. Gaharwar is a biomaterials expert and has developed novel
bioinks that offer unprecedented biocompatibility and control of
mechanical properties needed to print blood vessels, whereas Jain's
expertise lies in creating biomimetic in vitro models of vascular and hematological diseases. This interdisciplinary and collaborative project
was recently published in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials.

Bioprinting in 3D is an advanced manufacturing technique capable of
producing unique, tissue-shaped constructs in a layer-by-layer fashion
with embedded cells, making the arrangement more likely to mirror the
native, multicellular makeup of vascular structures. A range of hydrogel bioinks was introduced to design these structures; however, there is a limitation in available bioinks that can mimic the vascular composition
of native tissues. Current bioinks lack high printability and are unable
to deposit a high density of living cells into complex 3D architectures,
making them less effective.

To overcome these shortcomings, Gaharwar and Jain developed a new nanoengineered bioink to print 3D, anatomically accurate, multicellular
blood vessels. Their approach offers improved real-time resolution for
both macro- structure and tissue-level micro-structure, something that currently is not possible with available bioinks.

"A remarkably unique characteristic of this nanoengineered bioink is
that regardless of cell density, it demonstrates a high printability
and ability to protect encapsulated cells against high shear forces
in the bioprinting process," Gaharwar said. "Remarkably, 3D-bioprinted
cells maintain a healthy phenotype and remain viable for nearly one month postfabrication." Leveraging these unique properties, the nanoengineered bioink is printed into 3D cylindrical blood vessels, consisting of living co-cultures of endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells,
which provides researchers the opportunity to model vascular function
and disease impact.



==========================================================================
This 3D-bioprinted vessel provides a potential tool to understand vascular disease pathophysiology and assess therapeutics, toxins or other chemicals
in preclinical trials.

Other project collaborators include Dr. John Cooke from the Houston
Methodist Research Institute and Dr. Javier Jo from the University
of Oklahoma. This research is funded through grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Texas A&M President's Excellence Fund.

A team in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, co-led by associate professor Dr. Akhilesh Gaharwar and assistant professor Dr. Abhishek Jain,
has designed a 3D-bioprinted model of a blood vessel that mimics its state
of health and disease, thus paving the way for possible cardiovascular
drug advancements with better precision.

Vascular diseases such as aneurysms, peripheral artery disease and clots
inside blood vessels account for 31% of global deaths. Despite this
clinical burden, cardiovascular drug advancements have slowed over the
past 20 years. The decrease in cardiovascular therapeutic development is attributed to the lack of efficiency in converting possible treatments
into approved methods, specifically due to the discrepancy between
studies that take place outside the body compared to inside.

The team's research at Texas A&M University aims to remodel current methodologies to minimize this gap and improve the translatability
of these techniques by directing 3D bioprinting toward vascular
medicine. Gaharwar is a biomaterials expert and has developed novel
bioinks that offer unprecedented biocompatibility and control of
mechanical properties needed to print blood vessels, whereas Jain's
expertise lies in creating biomimetic in vitro models of vascular and hematological diseases. This interdisciplinary and collaborative project
was recently published in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials.

Bioprinting in 3D is an advanced manufacturing technique capable of
producing unique, tissue-shaped constructs in a layer-by-layer fashion
with embedded cells, making the arrangement more likely to mirror the
native, multicellular makeup of vascular structures. A range of hydrogel bioinks was introduced to design these structures; however, there is a limitation in available bioinks that can mimic the vascular composition
of native tissues. Current bioinks lack high printability and are un


========================================================================== Bioprinting in 3D is an advanced manufacturing technique capable of
producing unique, tissue-shaped constructs in a layer-by-layer fashion
with embedded cells, making the arrangement more likely to mirror the
native, multicellular makeup of vascular structures. A range of hydrogel bioinks was introduced to design these structures; however, there is a limitation in available bioinks that can mimic the vascular composition
of native tissues. Current bioinks lack high printability and are unable
to deposit a high density of living cells into complex 3D architectures,
making them less effective.

To overcome these shortcomings, Gaharwar and Jain developed a new nanoengineered bioink to print 3D, anatomically accurate, multicellular
blood vessels. Their approach offers improved real-time resolution for
both macro- structure and tissue-level micro-structure, something that currently is not possible with available bioinks.

"A remarkably unique characteristic of this nanoengineered bioink is
that regardless of cell density, it demonstrates a high printability
and ability to protect encapsulated cells against high shear forces
in the bioprinting process," Gaharwar said. "Remarkably, 3D-bioprinted
cells maintain a healthy phenotype and remain viable for nearly one month postfabrication." Leveraging these unique properties, the nanoengineered bioink is printed into 3D cylindrical blood vessels, consisting of living co-cultures of endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells,
which provides researchers the opportunity to model vascular function
and disease impact.

This 3D-bioprinted vessel provides a potential tool to understand vascular disease pathophysiology and assess therapeutics, toxins or other chemicals
in preclinical trials.

Other project collaborators include Dr. John Cooke from the Houston
Methodist Research Institute and Dr. Javier Jo from the University
of Oklahoma. This research is funded through grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Texas A&M President's Excellence Fund.

A team in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, co-led by associate professor Dr. Akhilesh Gaharwar and assistant professor Dr. Abhishek Jain,
has designed a 3D-bioprinted model of a blood vessel that mimics its state
of health and disease, thus paving the way for possible cardiovascular
drug advancements with better precision.

Vascular diseases such as aneurysms, peripheral artery disease and clots
inside blood vessels account for 31% of global deaths. Despite this
clinical burden, cardiovascular drug advancements have slowed over the
past 20 years. The decrease in cardiovascular therapeutic development is attributed to the lack of efficiency in converting possible treatments
into approved methods, specifically due to the discrepancy between
studies that take place outside the body compared to inside.

The team's research at Texas A&M University aims to remodel current methodologies to minimize this gap and improve the translatability
of these techniques by directing 3D bioprinting toward vascular
medicine. Gaharwar is a biomaterials expert and has developed novel
bioinks that offer unprecedented biocompatibility and control of
mechanical properties needed to print blood vessels, whereas Jain's
expertise lies in creating biomimetic in vitro models of vascular and hematological diseases. This interdisciplinary and collaborative project
was recently published in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials.

Bioprinting in 3D is an advanced manufacturing technique capable of
producing unique, tissue-shaped constructs in a layer-by-layer fashion
with embedded cells, making the arrangement more likely to mirror the
native, multicellular makeup of vascular structures. A range of hydrogel bioinks was introduced to design these structures; however, there is a limitation in available bioinks that can mimic the vascular composition
of native tissues. Current bioinks lack high printability and are unable
to deposit a high density of living cells into complex 3D architectures,
making them less effective.

To overcome these shortcomings, Gaharwar and Jain developed a new nanoengineered bioink to print 3D, anatomically accurate, multicellular
blood vessels. Their approach offers improved real-time resolution for
both macro- structure and tissue-level micro-structure, something that currently is not possible with available bioinks.

"A remarkably unique characteristic of this nanoengineered bioink is
that regardless of cell density, it demonstrates a high printability
and ability to protect encapsulated cells against high shear forces
in the bioprinting process," Gaharwar said. "Remarkably, 3D-bioprinted
cells maintain a healthy phenotype and remain viable for nearly one month postfabrication." Leveraging these unique properties, the nanoengineered bioink is printed into 3D cylindrical blood vessels, consisting of living co-cultures of endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells,
which provides researchers the opportunity to model vascular function
and disease impact.

This 3D-bioprinted vessel provides a potential tool to understand vascular disease pathophysiology and assess therapeutics, toxins or other chemicals
in preclinical trials.

Other project collaborators include Dr. John Cooke from the Houston
Methodist Research Institute and Dr. Javier Jo from the University
of Oklahoma. This research is funded through grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Texas A&M President's Excellence Fund.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Texas_A&M_University. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Karli A. Gold, Biswajit Saha, Navaneeth Krishna Rajeeva Pandian,
Brandon
K. Walther, Jorge A. Palma, Javier Jo, John P. Cooke, Abhishek Jain,
Akhilesh K. Gaharwar. 3D Bioprinted Multicellular Vascular Models.

Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2021; 2101141 DOI:
10.1002/adhm.202101141 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210817131414.htm

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