MIT engineers find a precise way to grow artificial blood vessels

Tissue engineers have struggled to grow artificial organs—the main obstacle is creating the precise, organized networks of blood vessels needed to keep them alive. MIT engineers have found a breakthrough using mechanical force. They built a postage-stamp-sized 'blood vessel on a chip' where a central artery sits in a gel with an embedded magnet. By stretching the gel in different directions and degrees, they stimulated the artery to sprout new capillaries, and by varying the mechanical stimulus, they could direct where and how many vessels grew. According to MIT News, the mechanism involves ion channels called PIEZO one, which open in response to physical pressure. The researchers say this could enable precise engineering of vascular networks for implantable tissues to restore function after disease or injury.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton