Engineering etiology-aligned in vitro models of human vessels

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Translational Medicine
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Vascular diseases represent a significant global health challenge.
• Traditional animal models inadequately replicate human-specific disease mechanisms.
• Policy changes necessitate the development of human-relevant vascular research platforms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce an etiology-to-model framework for vascular diseases.
• To map principal vascular disease classes to suitable in vitro systems.
• To guide the development of predictive human-relevant vascular models.

Main Methods:

• Categorization of vascular diseases into six etiological classes.
• Evaluation of various in vitro systems including 2D assays, organoids, organ-on-chip, tissue-engineered grafts, and bioprinted vessels.
• Assessment of how these models recapitulate structural, cellular, and hemodynamic features of human vascular pathology.

Main Results:

• The framework links six vascular disease classes (congenital, metabolic, neoplastic, inflammatory, degenerative, risk factor-induced) to specific in vitro models.
• Different in vitro platforms (2D, organoids, organ-on-chip, engineered grafts, bioprinted vessels) capture distinct aspects of vascular pathology.
• The primary challenge lies in model validation against disease-specific benchmarks and integrating complexity with reproducibility.

Conclusions:

• An etiology-to-model framework aids in selecting and designing appropriate human-relevant vascular platforms.
• Validation and integration of biological complexity are key to advancing predictive vascular modeling.
• This approach supports accelerated mechanistic insight and precision therapy development for vascular diseases.