Miller continues, “They don’t yet look like the blood vessels found in organs, but they have some of the key features relevant for a transplant surgeon. We created a construct that has one inlet and one outlet, which are about 1 millimeter in diameter, and these main vessels branch into multiple smaller vessels, which are about 600 to 800 microns.”

Once the proof-of-concept was achieved, the Rice team worked with Atluri’s surgeons to surgically implant the vessel network into a lab rat, used as an animal model, where blood flowed without issue for up to three hours.  The study was deemed a complete success, with Miller saying, “This study provides a first step toward developing a transplant model for tissue engineering where the surgeon can directly connect arteries to an engineered tissue. In the future we aim to utilize a biodegradable material that also contains live cells next to these perfusable vessels for direct transplantation and monitoring long term.” Specifically, the team will use endothelial cells to reduce clotting and improve the transportation of nutrients in the blood vessels, as well as improve the transportation of nutrients. They may also try using different hydrogels for the fabrication of the blood vessels in the future.

Image via Tissue Engineering Part C: Methods

Now that the team has demonstrated the successful implantation of an artificial blood vessel network, they can work to bring blood flow to bioficial tissues.  With the ability to pump oxygen and nutrients to these tissues, they may even be able to expand the number of cell types that can be viably supported in the lab, slowly growing their research until they’re able to construct complete bioprinted organs.  At that point, bioprinting will no longer be a tool for research, but for saving lives.