Engineering PEG-based hydrogels to foster efficient endothelial network formation in free-swelling and confined microenvironments.

ABSTRACT: In vitro tissue engineered models are poised to have significant impact on disease modeling and preclinical drug development. Reliable methods to induce microvascular networks in such microphysiological systems are needed to improve the size and physiological function of these models. By systematically engineering several physical and biomolecular properties of the cellular microenvironment (including crosslinking density, polymer density, adhesion ligand concentration, and degradability), we establish design principles that describe how synthetic matrix properties influence vascular morphogenesis in modular and tunable hydrogels based on commercial 8-arm poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG8a) macromers. We apply these design principles to generate endothelial networks that exhibit consistent morp

SUBMITTER: Brown A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7203641 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature