Advances in In Vitro Vascularization of Engineered Tissues: From Microvessel Formation to Hepatic Tissue Integration

Advances in tissue engineering have enabled the construction of two-dimensional tissues such as skin and cornea, as well as avascular three-dimensional (3D) tissues such as cartilage. However, building fully functional 3D tissues and organs remains a major challenge. In 3D constructs, microvascular networks are indispensable for delivering oxygen and nutrients to the inner regions; thus, the formation of capillaries and microvessels and their integration with 3D parenchymal tissues--so-called vascularization--are of critical importance. In this review, we discuss the current status and future perspectives of in vitro tissue engineering from a bioengineering standpoint, with a particular focus on the vascularization of 3D tissues. We first summarize recent progress in the in vitro construction of capillaries and microvessels, including microfluidic- and bioprinting-based approaches. We then focus on the liver as a representative parenchymal tissue, given its vital metabolic functions and the potential of human cell-derived liver models for drug discovery and as alternatives to animal testing. Finally, we highlight emerging strategies for vascularizing liver and other organ models and outline future directions in this evolving field. We conclude that bioengineering approaches for designing biomimetic systems, when integrated with vascular biology, organ-specific cell and stem cell biology, pathology, multiphoton lithography, and materials science, will enable the construction of in vitro 3D tissues with stable vasculature and functional integration with parenchymal structures, opening new avenues for drug discovery, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine.