University of Twente Student Theses
Generating vascular structures in a 3D micro-environment
Blaauwgeers, Chris (2024) Generating vascular structures in a 3D micro-environment.
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| Abstract: | Using a realistic and representative situation of physiological functions is necessary for all drug and treatment research. Recreating a realistic vascular structure is a necessary step in enabling this research for both fibrotic diseases such as systemic sclerosis and different types of cancer. Such vascular environments are needed to relieve from animal testing and offer a suitable in vitro alternative to in vivo experiments. In this study, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induced formation of blood vessels via both angiogenesis and vasculogenesis is studied in varying environments. This is done over a seven-day period in a 3D cell culture based on a PDMS chip housed hydrogel matrix. Using a pre-seeded endothelial cell lumen, different configurations of VEGF supplementation, fibroblast inclusion and chip design are tested to find the adequate setup for vessel formation. Angiogenic vessel sprouting seems most prevalent when endothelial cells are exposed to a VEGF gradient versus direct supplementation. Introduction of fibroblasts did, however, not return the expected improvement in vessel length. Vasculogenesis seems to appear between clusters of endothelial cells in a co-culture with fibroblasts. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | TNW: Science and Technology |
| Subject: | 42 biology |
| Programme: | Biomedical Engineering MSc (66226) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/102395 |
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