(116y) Novel Method of Scaffold Formation for Artificial Vascular Network

Many artificial tissues fail in vivo because of a lack of blood supply to the nascent cells. One way to deliver blood more readily is to engineer a vascular network. In this study, a novel technique was developed to create a scaffold for the formation of a vascular network. Scaffold structure was based on the use of alginate tubes 200 µm in diameter. The tubes were made in a two-step process. The first step was to put alginate in a syringe with a needle attached. In a second step, the alginate was continuously pumped into a solution of calcium chloride with the needle tip below the surface of the liquid. When the stream of alginate contacted the liquid, the alginate formed a solid tube. It is possible to suspend smooth muscle and endothelial cells in the alginate before tube formation to uniformly disperse cells within the tubes. Forming a PDMS gel around the tubes and dissolving the alginate with sodium citrate solution created a branched arrangement of channels. It was qualitatively concluded that these channels are interconnected, accessible, and do not leak. It is predicted that a three-dimensional arrangement of channels can be developed to closely model the human vascular network. This technique is useful because it provides a method of creating a scaffold capable of supporting a vascular network.