The Biofabrication of Diseased Artery In Vitro Models

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine
• Cardiovascular Research

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are leading global causes of death, often stemming from artery disorders like atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and aneurysm.
• Current clinical treatments exist, but the fundamental pathologies of these arterial abnormalities remain incompletely understood.
• Conventional cell cultures and animal models have limitations in fully recapitulating arterial pathophysiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review critical elements of the arterial microenvironment for creating biomimetic in vitro artery models.
• To summarize existing biofabrication platforms for studying arterial diseases, detailing their advantages and disadvantages.
• To provide a comprehensive overview of advanced biofabrication techniques and their application in developing diseased artery models.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on biofabrication techniques for in vitro disease modeling.
• Analysis of critical arterial microenvironment factors (cells, biomaterials, biomolecules).
• Comparison of conventional versus advanced biofabrication platforms for arterial disease research.

Main Results:

• Biofabrication enables the construction of in vitro diseased artery models using human vascular cells, biomaterials, and biomolecules.
• These models offer superior recapitulation of arterial pathophysiology compared to traditional methods.
• Advanced biofabrication techniques show significant progress in establishing complex diseased artery models.

Conclusions:

• Biofabrication offers a powerful approach to creating sophisticated in vitro models of human arteries with specific diseases.
• These advanced models are crucial for a deeper understanding of cardiovascular disease pathologies.
• Further development and application of biofabrication techniques will enhance research into atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and aneurysm.