Abstract

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.