Towards organ printing: engineering an intra-organ branched vascular tree

Abstract

Importance of the field: Effective vascularization of thick three-dimensional engineered tissue constructs is a problem in tissue engineering. As in native organs, a tissue-engineered intra-organ vascular tree must be comprised of a network of hierarchically branched vascular segments. Despite this requirement, current tissue-engineering efforts are still focused predominantly on engineering either large-diameter macrovessels or microvascular networks.

Areas covered in this review: We present the emerging concept of organ printing or robotic additive biofabrication of an intra-organ branched vascular tree, based on the ability of vascular tissue spheroids to undergo self-assembly.

What the reader will gain: The feasibility and challenges of this robotic biofabrication approach to intra-organ vascularization for tissue engineering based on organ-printing technology using self-assembling vascular tissue spheroids including clinically relevantly vascular cell sources are analyzed.

Take home message: It is not possible to engineer 3D thick tissue or organ constructs without effective vascularization. An effective intra-organ vascular system cannot be built by the simple connection of large-diameter vessels and microvessels. Successful engineering of functional human organs suitable for surgical implantation will require concomitant engineering of a ‘built in’ intra-organ branched vascular system. Organ printing enables biofabrication of human organ constructs with a ‘built in’ intra-organ branched vascular tree.

Keywords::

• organ printing
• vascularization
• vascular tree
• tissue spheroids

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank T Trusk and K Brakke for their assistance in assembling the figures.

Notes

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