One of the building blocks of the ORGANTRANS technology: Vascularization of 3D hydrogels in vitro by endothelial and mural cells

All organs depend on blood vessels for nutrient and oxygen supply. The growth of functional blood vessels in 3D bioprinted tissue constructs for regenerative medicine applications currently remains a challenge. VIB, in collaboration with DWI Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials, assesses vascularization approaches of 3D hydrogels in vitro, by incorporating vascular endothelial and mural cells into the hydrogel bio-ink.

For liver tissue engineering, these approaches will be applied in the ORGANTRANS project to generate bioprinted, hydrogel-based liver organoid structures with preformed microvessel networks to facilitate connection with the host vasculature.