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Updated: Feb 23, 2026
Author Spotlight: Automated Bioprinting for High-Throughput Vascular Model Fabrication
Published on: August 16, 2024
Bioprinted 3D vascularized tissue model for drug toxicity analysis.
Solange Massa, Mahmoud Ahmed Sakr1, Jungmok Seo1
1Biomaterials Innovation Research Center, Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02139, USA and Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Researchers created a 3D liver tissue model with engineered blood vessels to better test drug toxicity. This vascularized model improves drug screening accuracy by mimicking in vivo conditions.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Tissue Engineering
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Developing perfusable vascularized 3D tissue constructs is crucial for mimicking in vivo drug administration.
- Engineered blood vessels are needed for accurate drug screening and biological studies in biomimetic tissue models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a simple 3D vascularized liver tissue model for drug toxicity testing.
- To incorporate an engineered endothelial layer into a 3D liver construct to mimic drug administration.
Main Methods:
- Utilized sacrificial bioprinting to create a hollow microchannel in a 3D liver tissue construct (HepG2/C3A cells in gelatin methacryloyl hydrogel).
- Seeded human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) into the microchannel to form a vascularized tissue construct.
Main Results:
- Achieved a uniformly coated HUVEC layer within the hollow microchannel of the 3D liver construct.
- Observed delayed permeability of biomolecules into the 3D liver construct due to the HUVEC layer.
- Demonstrated increased HepG2/C3A cell viability in the vascularized construct, indicating a protective role of the endothelial cells.
Conclusions:
- The developed 3D vascularized liver model provides a more accurate in vitro system for drug toxicity testing.
- The engineered endothelial layer effectively mimics in vivo drug administration pathways.
- This model offers enhanced biomimicry for improved drug screening and biological studies.
