Abstract

Vascular Networks on a Chip and Their Applications

Roger Kamm, Cecil and Ida Green Distinguished Professor of Biological and Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Due to the capacity of vascular endothelial cells to self-assemble into 3D vascular networks in a conducive hydrogel, it is now possible to grow microvasculature within microfluidic chips comparable to in vivo capillary beds in both morphology and function.  These systems have numerous applications including vascularized organs-on-chip, studies of transport across the vascular endothelium, and models of disease.  This presentation will focus on the growth of these networks and quantitative analysis of their morphology and transport properties.  Results will be discussed showing networks grown from several different sources of endothelial cells that stabilize over 4-7 days, and can then be maintained in some cases for periods of over one month.  Various accessory cells are used, including fibroblasts, pericytes and mesenchymal stem cells, and these contribute to changes in matrix composition and mechanics over time. Examples will be used to illustrate some of the potential applications of these vascularized models, selected from metastatic cancer, the blood-brain barrier, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy.