Researchers succeed in creating two interconnected vascular networks

Researchers at Tampere University have developed a groundbreaking cell culture platform that enables the formation of two distinct but interconnected vascular networks. Their breakthrough holds tremendous promise for advancing biomedical research. Organ-on-chips are microfluidic cell cultures that replicate human physiology, significantly reducing the costs of drug development, minimising the need for animal testing and enabling personalised treatment.

Researchers from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology (MET) at Tampere University have successfully created a cell culture platform that allows two cultivated vascular networks to interconnect. The blood vessels in these networks are equivalent to human capillaries in size and structure, facilitating the study of human capillary networks in a laboratory setting.

“The generation of two distinct, interconnected 3D microvascular networks marks a significant step forward in our research. Now we can incorporate cells found in different types of tissue around these interconnected vascular networks – such as hepatocytes from liver tissue and adipocytes from fat tissue – to study cellular interactions in vascularized tissues,” says Alma Yrjänäinen. She is working on her PhD within the Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research at Tampere University.

Organ-on-chip (OoC) technology combines microfabrication techniques and cell biology to facilitate the study of tissue functions. OoCs replicate the complex microenvironment of human tissue by incorporating either gravity-driven or pump-assisted fluid flow through miniaturised tissue, mimicking the natural forces of blood flow. Neurons and blood vessels can also be integrated into these models.

OoCs can substantially reduce the costs of drug discovery, with experts estimating a potential reduction of up to 25%.

National healthcare systems could also benefit from the adoption of OoCs. However, further progress is needed before these visions become a reality.

“Imagine that in the future, a single blood sample could unlock a personalised treatment for your hypertension. Stem cells derived from your blood could be used to create a vascular network in a laboratory setting. This network could then be used to test which hypertension drugs available on the market would be most suitable for your cells, helping to avoid drugs that would be ineffective or even harmful to you,” Yrjänäinen says.

The research paper was published in Scientific Reports on 2 October 2024.

What is organ-on-chip (OoC) technology?

• OoC technology is a multidisciplinary field of research that emerged in the 2010s and aims to create models that mimic specific human tissues.
• Due to advancements in stem cell technology, isolating cells directly from a patient’s heart is no longer required to create a personalised heart model. Instead, these models can now be engineered from easily harvested blood cells, which are first reprogrammed into stem cells and then into heart cells.
• OoC models are used to study tissue-specific diseases, improve treatments, analyse drug responses and discover new therapies.
• OoC technology also helps to reduce or replace the need for animal testing.