Advancing vascularized tissue models through biomaterials and biofabrication

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Background

In recent years, the generation of biological tissue replicates has become a high-interest research topic. Such engineered tissues help to advance our understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms (i.e. microphysiological systems) and build substitutes for damaged tissues (i.e. tissue engineered grafts). Originally, approaches for their development were mainly based on biomaterials embedding tissue-specific cells. The additional support of biofabrication techniques now allows to reproduce more native tissue architectures. The presence of vascular networks is undoubtedly one of the key elements characterizing physiological tissues. Blood and lymphatic vessels are fundamental to assure the transport of substances to and from tissues and therefore are present in all of them with a few exceptions. Including blood and lymphatic vessels into biological tissue replicates is thus a mandatory requirement for the achievement of adequate physiological tissue mimetics.

Several approaches have been proposed to generate vascular networks embedded in tissue constructs. Many of them depend on suitable biomaterial properties to support vessel and tissue growth. To induce the formation of vascular structures, top-down or bottom-up approaches can be implemented. These involve the fabrication of predesigned channels or rely on the self-assembling of vascular cells, respectively. Both approaches require the presence of a matrix that can foster and guide the formation and maturation of the vascular network, providing adequate mechanical and biochemical cues. In this context, the use of biomaterials naturally supporting angiogenesis like fibrin or collagen is still widespread. Today, synthetic biomaterials or chemical modifications of natural polymers are increasingly exploited to guide vascular network formation. Besides supporting angiogenesis, these matrices must be compatible with the approach chosen to produce the tissue, as in the case of bioinks for construct bioprinting or in the case of matrices used to establish vascular networks within microfluidic devices. Advanced biomaterials and technical approaches to induce the formation of functional blood and lymphatic vascular networks are greatly needed to improve the biological fidelity of engineered tissues. In this research topic, the most recent developments in the generation of vascularized tissue models will be presented.

We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:

• Development of new biomaterials to promote and/or guide angiogenesis

• Chemical modifications of biopolymers to foster blood vessel formation and growth

• Bioinks promoting angiogenesis for bioprinting and biofabrication of tissue constructs in vitro

• Innovative approaches to achieve functional blood vessels in microphysiological systems and tissue engineered constructs

• Vascularized microphysiological system developed to investigate the function of blood and lymphatic vessels and their interaction with other tissue-specific cells

Keywords: Angiogenesis, biomaterials, microphysiological systems, tissue engineered constructs, bioinks, functional vascular networks, functionalized biomaterials, vascularized models

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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