Organ-Specific Vasculature-on-a-Chip Systems

Human vasculature is heterogeneous and organ-specific. There are distinct structural, molecular, and functional differences in each organ’s vasculature. Recent advancements in microfabrication techniques, biomaterials, and differentiation protocols allowed for incorporation of microvasculature into engineered organs, and further their integration onto microfluidic platforms, i.e., tissue chips. These in vitro models now enable the understanding and medical utilization of tissue-specific vasculature in a human-relevant context. Accordingly, this Special Issue seeks to showcase research papers, short communications, and review articles that focus on novel methodological developments in vascularized organs-on-a-chip systems (e.g., blood-brain-barrier, vascularized tumors, and other tissue-specific vasculatures) and contribute to the efforts in transforming their realistic use for fundamental understanding of organ-specific vasculature and their microenvironmental regulation, as well as their use for various biomedical and clinical applications.

Guest Editors: Hasan Erbil Abaci and Mandy B. Esch