CELL-MET Researchers Engineer Vascularized Cardiac Microbundles
Outcome/Accomplishment
Researchers at the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Cellular Metamaterials (NSF CELL-MET) Engineering Research Center (ERC) have engineered cardiac microbundles capable of sustaining vascular networks. They demonstrated that macrophages (MΦs) facilitate vascular network formation and improve contractile function. CELL-MET is based at Boston University, the University of Michigan, and Florida International University.
Impact/Benefits
NSF CELL-MET’s work used Human-induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSC) to generate an all hiPSC-derived cardiac patch with embedded perfusable vasculature that maintains stable function as measured by tissue viability, structure, and electromechanical function. Vascularized cardiac microbundles also facilitate host-graft anastomosis in implantation studies. Host-graft anastomosis refers to the process where blood vessels from a host organism connect with those of an implanted graft, facilitating blood flow and integration. This process is crucial for the survival and functionality of engineered tissues.
Explanation/Background
The integration of hierarchical, perfusable vasculature remains one of the most critical and unresolved challenges in engineering human cardiac tissues. Although substantial progress has been made in independently advancing myocardial and vascular tissue constructs, integrating both into a single functional platform remains a major barrier to translation. A key milestone in benchmarking an engineered perfusable vasculature is the demonstration of its ability to deliver nutrients, especially oxygen, into a thick engineered tissue that supports survival of cells embedded in the tissue. The technique described is able to generate vasculature to nourish cardiac tissues. In contrast to non-vascularized tissue that exhibits significant cell death in inner tissue regions, vascularized tissues will maintain more than 90 percent cell viability.
NSF CELL-MET’s research team included Richard Z. Zhuang, Francois Chesnais, Jon Seidman, Christine Seidman, Christopher Chen, and Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic.
Location
Boston, MassachusettsStart Year
Biotechnology and Healthcare
Biotechnology and Healthcare
Lead Institution
Core Partners
Fact Sheet
Outcome/Accomplishment
Researchers at the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Cellular Metamaterials (NSF CELL-MET) Engineering Research Center (ERC) have engineered cardiac microbundles capable of sustaining vascular networks. They demonstrated that macrophages (MΦs) facilitate vascular network formation and improve contractile function. CELL-MET is based at Boston University, the University of Michigan, and Florida International University.
Location
Boston, MassachusettsStart Year
Biotechnology and Healthcare
Biotechnology and Healthcare
Lead Institution
Core Partners
Fact Sheet
Impact/benefits
NSF CELL-MET’s work used Human-induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSC) to generate an all hiPSC-derived cardiac patch with embedded perfusable vasculature that maintains stable function as measured by tissue viability, structure, and electromechanical function. Vascularized cardiac microbundles also facilitate host-graft anastomosis in implantation studies. Host-graft anastomosis refers to the process where blood vessels from a host organism connect with those of an implanted graft, facilitating blood flow and integration. This process is crucial for the survival and functionality of engineered tissues.
Explanation/Background
The integration of hierarchical, perfusable vasculature remains one of the most critical and unresolved challenges in engineering human cardiac tissues. Although substantial progress has been made in independently advancing myocardial and vascular tissue constructs, integrating both into a single functional platform remains a major barrier to translation. A key milestone in benchmarking an engineered perfusable vasculature is the demonstration of its ability to deliver nutrients, especially oxygen, into a thick engineered tissue that supports survival of cells embedded in the tissue. The technique described is able to generate vasculature to nourish cardiac tissues. In contrast to non-vascularized tissue that exhibits significant cell death in inner tissue regions, vascularized tissues will maintain more than 90 percent cell viability.
NSF CELL-MET’s research team included Richard Z. Zhuang, Francois Chesnais, Jon Seidman, Christine Seidman, Christopher Chen, and Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic.