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Updated: Aug 9, 2025
Generation of Human Blood Vessel Organoids from Pluripotent Stem Cells
Published on: January 20, 2023
Blood Vessel Organoids for Development and Disease
Kirill Salewskij1,2, Josef M Penninger1,3
1Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna (K.S., J.M.P.).
Insights
Human blood vessel organoids offer a new in vitro model for studying cardiovascular diseases and developing therapeutics. This advanced model overcomes limitations of traditional methods, enabling better research into vascular health and disease.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Regenerative Medicine
- Stem Cell Biology
Background:
- Cardiovascular disorders remain a leading cause of global mortality, necessitating advanced research models.
- Existing methods for studying vascular parameters face limitations due to species-specific pathways and lack of high-throughput approaches.
- Complex in vivo vascular environments pose challenges for developing accurate human in vitro models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review novel approaches in blood vessel engineering.
- To explore the cellular identity of engineered blood vessels compared to in vivo vasculature.
- To discuss the therapeutic potential of blood vessel organoids.
Main Methods:
- Development of self-organizing human capillary blood vessel organoids.
- Utilizing embryonic or patient-derived stem cells for modeling.
- Adapting organoid systems for organ specificity and disease modeling.
Main Results:
- Developed human capillary blood vessel organoids recapitulate key vasculogenesis and angiogenesis processes.
- Organoid system models diabetic vasculopathy and other disease processes.
- Engineered blood vessels show potential for comparative cellular identity studies.
Conclusions:
- Blood vessel organoids represent a significant advancement for cardiovascular research and personalized medicine.
- This in vitro model system offers a promising platform for therapeutic development.
- Further research into engineered blood vessels will enhance understanding of vascular diseases.
Abstract:
Despite enormous advances, cardiovascular disorders are still a major threat to global health and are responsible for one-third of deaths worldwide. Research for new therapeutics and the investigation of their effects on vascular parameters is often limited by species-specific pathways and a lack of high-throughput methods. The complex 3-dimensional environment of blood vessels, intricate cellular crosstalks, and organ-specific architectures further complicate the quest for a faithful human in vitro model. The development of novel organoid models of various tissues such as brain, gut, and kidney signified a leap for the field of personalized medicine and disease research. By utilizing either embryonic- or patient-derived stem cells, different developmental and pathological mechanisms can be modeled and investigated in a controlled in vitro environment. We have recently developed self-organizing human capillary blood vessel organoids that recapitulate key processes of vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, and diabetic vasculopathy. Since then, this organoid system has been utilized as a model for other disease processes, refined, and adapted for organ specificity. In this review, we will discuss novel and alternative approaches to blood vessel engineering and explore the cellular identity of engineered blood vessels in comparison to in vivo vasculature. Future perspectives and the therapeutic potential of blood vessel organoids will be discussed.
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