Current Methods in Vascular Network Bioengineering: From Stem Cells, to Organoid Systems and Tissue Engineering

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editors

Juan Melero-Martin

Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital

Dr. Melero-Martin graduated in Chemical Engineering from the University of Seville, Spain. After working three years in Industry, he went on to earn a PhD in Biochemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham, UK, in 2005. He then trained as a postdoctoral fellow in the Vascular Biology Program at Boston Children's Hospital. He joined the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Boston Children's Hospital in 2008. Currently, he is an Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, and the inaugural incumbent of an endowed Chair in Cardiac Surgery at Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Melero-Martin's research is focused on how to build vascular networks and vascularize tissues. His laboratory is a reference in human blood-derived circulating endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) and has contributed multiple original papers on various aspects of ECFC biology. His group has developed novel approaches to bioengineer vascular networks and has shown that bioengineered vascular networks can be generally used to harness the regenerative potential of other stem cells. In addition, his group developed a model that uses genetically engineered blood vessels to achieve the controlled release of therapeutic proteins in vivo.

Kai Wang

Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital

Dr. Wang graduated in Biomedical Engineering from Southeast University, China, in 2010. In 2016, he earned a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Peking University in China. His thesis mentor was Dr. Ying Luo, and he studied the biocompatibility of encapsulation devices and the transplantation of pancreatic islets to treat diabetes. As a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Wang studied the differentiation of human stem cells into vascular endothelial cells by manipulating key transcription factors in the laboratory of Dr. Juan Melero-Martin at Boston Children's Hospital. In addition, he is interested in the modeling and application of vascular organoids, which can recapitulate blood vessel development and organization.

Collection Overview

The prospect of generating organ and tissue replacements via tissue engineering holds great promise in regenerative medicine. However, integrating a functional microvasculature into engineered tissues to facilitate sufficient oxygenation, nutrient distribution, and elimination of waste products remains a significant challenge. In recent years, there has been extraordinary progress in the ability to generate functional human vascular networks from stem cells and the use of innovative bioengineering approaches. Notably, the use of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (h-iPSCs) has moved from a far-fetched concept to the forefront of regenerative medicine research, and advances in h-iPSCs biology have affected many disciplines, including vascular biology. Indeed, mounting evidence indicates the tantalizing possibility of deriving an unlimited number of endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) from h-iPSCs. The prospect of having an unlimited source of autologous vascular cells is tremendously exciting, and these advances should influence future vascularization approaches.

In this collection, we present a combination of novel techniques and standard protocols to investigate the formation of vascular networks in the context of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The focus is on 1) methods to derive competent vascular cells from the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells; 2) vascular heterogeneity and protocols to generate organ- and tissue-specific vasculatures; 3) different bioengineering approaches to form functional vascular networks, including three-dimensional (3D) printing and microphysiological systems; and 4) methods to vascularize 3D engineered tissues as well as organoids.