MIT breakthrough could transform how artificial blood vessels are built

One of the biggest challenges in creating lab-grown tissues is building functional networks of tiny blood vessels that can deliver oxygen and nutrients while removing waste. Existing approaches mainly rely on biochemical signals such as growth factors to stimulate vessel formation, but these methods offer limited control over where and when new vessels develop.

The MIT team took a different approach by using mechanical forces instead of chemical cues. They created a magnetically controlled "vessel-on-a-chip" platform containing a human blood vessel embedded in a collagen matrix. External magnets generated carefully controlled mechanical stretching, allowing researchers to direct vessel growth across three spatial dimensions and over time, an approach the team calls "4D force patterning."

The experiments, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that different levels of mechanical strain produced different effects. Lower strain, around 5%, triggered the formation of a larger number of new vessel sprouts, while higher strain, around 15%, encouraged fewer sprouts to grow longer. The researchers also demonstrated that changing the direction of the applied force during the experiment redirected the path of growing vessels, enabling the creation of more complex structures, including L-shaped branches.

Beyond influencing growth patterns, the mechanical stimulation improved the organization of endothelial cells, which line blood vessels, and strengthened the vessels' barrier function by reducing permeability. Importantly, the newly formed sprouts developed hollow lumens connected to the parent vessel, indicating they could support fluid transport rather than forming isolated cell protrusions.

According to the researchers, the technology provides a new way to program the architecture of vascular networks with far greater precision than current methods. They say the platform could help scientists engineer more realistic human tissues for drug testing and disease modeling, while supporting future efforts to develop implantable tissues for regenerative medicine.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that an Australian team created blood test for concussion in seniors.