Closed-loop vasculature network design for bioprinting large, solid tissue scaffolds

Abstract Vascularization is an indispensable requirement for fabricating large solid tissues and organs. The natural vasculature derived from medical imaging modalities for large tissues and organs are highly complex and convoluted. However, the present bioprinting capabilities limit the fabrication of such complex natural vascular networks. Simplified bioprinted vascular networks, on the other hand, lack the capability to sustain large solid tissues. This work proposes a generalized and adaptable numerical model to design the vasculature by utilizing the tissue/organ anatomy. Starting with processing the patient’s medical images, organ structure, tissue-specific cues, and key vasculature tethers are determined. An open-source abdomen magnetic resonance image dataset was used in this work. The extracted properties and cues are then used in a mathematical model for guiding the vascular network formation comprising arterial and venous networks. Next, the generated three-dimensional networks are used to simulate the nutrient transport and consumption within the organ over time and the regions deprived of the nutrients are identified. These regions provide cues to evolve and optimize the vasculature in an iterative manner to ensure the availability of the nutrient transport throughout the bioprinted scaffolds. The mass transport of six components of cell culture media—glucose, glycine, glutamine, riboflavin, human serum albumin, and oxygen was studied within the organ with designed vasculature. As the vascular structure underwent iterations, the organ regions deprived of these key components decreased significantly highlighting the increase in structural complexity and efficacy of the designed vasculature. The numerical method presented in this work offers a valuable tool for designing vascular scaffolds to guide the cell growth and maturation of the bioprinted tissues for faster regeneration post bioprinting.