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Updated: May 14, 2026
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Generation and Grafting of Tissue-engineered Vessels in a Mouse Model
Published on: March 18, 2015
In vitro engineering of vascularized tissue surrogates
Katsuhisa Sakaguchi1, Tatsuya Shimizu, Shigeto Horaguchi
1School of Creative Science and Engineering, TWIns, Waseda University, 2-2 Wakamatsu-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan.
Scientific Reports
|February 20, 2013
Summary
This study presents a novel method using cell sheet technology and a perfusion bioreactor to create vascularized engineered tissues. This approach overcomes diffusion limitations, enabling the fabrication of thicker, viable tissue surrogates for regenerative medicine.
Area of Science:
- Tissue Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
- Biotechnology
Background:
- In vitro tissue engineering is limited by diffusion, hindering the development of thick, viable constructs.
- Lack of vasculature in engineered tissues restricts nutrient and oxygen supply, impacting cell survival.
- Current methods struggle to overcome the diffusion barrier for scaling up bioengineered tissues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel strategy for creating vascularized three-dimensional (3D) tissues in vitro.
- To overcome diffusion limitations in engineered tissues by incorporating a vascular network.
- To fabricate viable, thick tissue surrogates for potential therapeutic applications and in vitro modeling.
Main Methods:
- Utilized cell sheet technology to create triple-layer cardiac cell sheets.
- Employed a perfusion bioreactor with collagen-based microchannels for tissue cultivation.
- Observed endothelial cell migration and vascularization within the collagen gel and connection to microchannels.
Main Results:
- Engineered tissues demonstrated successful vascularization through endothelial cell migration and capillary formation.
- Perfusion bioreactor facilitated nutrient and oxygen transport via microchannels and newly formed capillaries.
- Layering of cell sheets resulted in spontaneous integration and the formation of vascularized thick tissues.
- Cardiac constructs exhibited simultaneous beating, indicating preserved cell viability and function.
Conclusions:
- The developed method successfully fabricates in vitro vascularized tissue surrogates, overcoming engineered-tissue thickness limitations.
- The strategy enables the creation of thick, viable 3D tissues with integrated vascular networks.
- These vascularized tissue surrogates hold promise for novel therapies for organ damage and advanced in vitro tissue models.
