title: Engineered Microvessels for the Study of Human Disease.
abstract: The microvasculature is an extensive, heterogeneous, and complex system that plays a critical role in human physiology and disease. It nourishes almost all living human cells and maintains a local microenvironment that is vital for tissue and organ function. Operating under a state of continuous flow, with an intricate architecture despite its small caliber, and subject to a multitude of biophysical and biochemical stimuli, the microvasculature can be a complex subject to study in the laboratory setting. Engineered microvessels provide an ideal platform that recapitulates essential elements of in vivo physiology and allows study of the microvasculature in a precise and reproducible way. Here, we review relevant structural and functional vascular biology, discuss different methods to engineer microvessels, and explore the applications of this exciting tool for the study of human disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Campus Box 356522, Seattle, WA 98195 e-mail: srayner@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Samuel G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Rayner
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, 3720 15th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105;Center for Cardiovascular Biology, Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109 e-mail: yingzy@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006801:Humans; D055806:Microvessels / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds