Reconstructing the Vascular Developmental Milieu In Vitro.

Understanding human development has fascinated scientists for centuries. With advancements in stem cell technologies, this understanding has expanded beyond fascination to application towards informing the design of therapeutics in regenerative medicine. A focus on establishing a better grasp of the physicochemical cues governing differentiation and tissue assembly has continually enhanced engineered systems to an unprecedented level of biomimicry and, in doing so, has allowed the design of novel therapeutics. The vasculature has a critical role during early stages of development and regeneration events, and is responsive to a range of dynamic environmental cues. In this review, we present biomaterials systems capable of spatially and temporally controlling environmental signals that guide vascular fate and assembly, thereby further informing our understanding of differentiation schema.

Duke Scholars

Author Sharon Gerecht Biomedical Engineering