Microvessel Network Formation and Interactions with Pancreatic Islets in Three-Dimensional Chip Cultures.

The pancreatic islet is a highly vascularized micro-organ, and rapid revascularization postislet transplantation is important for islet survival and function. However, the various mechanisms involved in islet revascularization are not fully understood, and we currently lack good platforms to explore this. Our aim for this study was to generate perfusable microvascular networks in a microfluidic chip device, in which islets could be easily integrated, to establish an platform for investigations on islet-microvasculature interactions.