3D-printed organs have the potential to revolutionise medicine by providing solutions for organ failure, and tissue damage and developing new therapies. But a major challenge is ensuring these printed tissues receive enough nutrients and oxygen, which is critical for their survival and function. Without blood vessels, these tissues can’t efficiently obtain nutrients or remove waste, limiting their effectiveness. Therefore, the ability to 3D-bioprint blood vessels is a crucial advancement.
Tissue engineers could already position blood vessels during the bioprinting process, but these vessels often remodel unpredictably when cultured in the lab or implanted in the body, reducing the effectiveness of the engineered tissue. The programmable bioink developed by the University of Twente team addresses this issue by providing dynamic control over vessel growth and remodelling over time. This opens new possibilities for creating engineered tissues with long-term functionality and adaptability.
Blood vessels on demand
This cutting-edge bioink is modified with small bits of DNA called aptamers. These aptamers can be programmed to bind and release biochemical signals on demand. This approach mimics the natural way of the human body, where tissue microenvironments act as reservoirs for growth signals, releasing them only when needed. This enables the bioink to control blood vessel formation and guide their development in response to the tissue’s needs."Our lab has previously developed aptamer-based technology to deliver proteins that stimulate the growth of new blood vessels", say researchers Jeroen Rouwkema and Deepti Rana from the Vascularization Lab at the University of Twente. "But what sets this technology apart is its ability to function not only in three dimensions but also over time. We call this 4D control."
"Building on that, the researchers now combined this approach with extrusion-based 3D bioprinting. The result is a programmable bioink that mimics the body’s natural way of presenting biochemical signals, enabling us to guide blood vessel growth in a controlled lab environment. "This brings us closer to engineering tissues that function like real organs", say Rouwkema and Rana.
Dr Jeroen Rouwkema and Deepti Rana are researchers in Biomechanical Engineering group (BE ; Faculty of ET ) and the Vascularization Lab. They recently published an article, titled ’ Bioprinting of Aptamer-Based Programmable Bioinks to Modulate Multiscale Microvascular Morphogenesis in 4D ’, in the scientific journal Advanced Healthcare Materials. Their work highlights the collaboration between experts in bioengineering, tissue engineering, and biomaterials science.
The Vascularization Lab, directed by Jeroen Rouwkema at the University of Twente, focuses on tuning the local mechanical and chemical microenvironment to control the development and organization of vascularized engineered tissues. For more details, visit https://www.vascularizationlab.com.
10.1002/adhm.202402302
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