Strategies For in vitro Perfusion of iPSC-derived Organoids: A Tough Nut to Crack
Roger Kamm,
Cecil and Ida Green Distinguished Professor of Biological and Mechanical Engineering,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Now that organoids can be generated for a variety of organs and tissues
from induced pluripotent stem cells, there is tremendous interest in
developing methods to connect an external perfusion system to an
internal vasculature. Success in this quest would help facilitate
continuous perfusion, leading to improved viability and functionality of
the developing organ, and supporting the introduction of therapeutics
for drug screening and development. For more than 5 years, we have had
the capability to grow self-assembled microvascular beds, or pattern
small vessels within various hydrogels. Methods are also increasingly
available to induce the growth vascular networks inside of the organoid.
To date, however, it has proved challenging to induce anastomosis
between these two networks and enable continuous perfusion. In this
presentation, different methods will be discussed that hold promise to
address this critical problem.
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