Conference Chairperson's Welcome, Introduction and Topics AddressedWednesday, 19 August 2020 at 08:30 Add to Calendar ▼2020-08-19 16:45:002020-08-19 17:45:00Europe/LondonVascular Networks on a Chip and Their ApplicationsMulti-Cellular Engineered Living Systems Summit in Boston, USABoston, USASELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com Vascular Networks on a Chip and Their ApplicationsWednesday, 19 August 2020 at 16:45 Add to Calendar ▼2020-08-19 16:45:002020-08-19 17:45:00Europe/LondonVascular Networks on a Chip and Their ApplicationsMulti-Cellular Engineered Living Systems Summit in Boston, USABoston, USASELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com 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. |