Vasculogenic dynamics in 3D engineered tissue constructs.

Implantable 3D engineered vascular tissue constructs can be formed by co-culturing endothelial and fibroblast cells on macroporous scaffolds. Here we show that these constructs can be used for studying the dynamics of neovascular formation in-vitro by a combination of live confocal imaging and an array of image processing and analysis tools, revealing multiple distinct stages of morphogenesis. We show that this process involves both vasculogenic and angiogenic elements, including an initial endothelial multicellular cluster formation followed by rapid extensive sprouting, ultimately resulting in a stable interconnected endothelial network morphology.

Engineering vessel-like networks within multicellular fibrin-based constructs.

Sufficient vascularization in engineered tissues can be achieved through coordinated application of improved biomaterial systems with proper cell types. In this study, we employed 3D fibrin gels alone or in combination with the synthetic poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA)/polylactic-glycolic acid (PLGA) sponges to support in-vitro construct vascularization and to enhance neovascularization upon implantation. Two multicellular assays were embedded in these constructs: (a) co-culture of endothelial (EC) and fibroblast cells, and (b) a tri-culture combination of ECs, fibroblasts and tissue specific skeletal myoblast cells.