Controlled angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels) at damaged sites is an unresolved issue in the clinical setting. Most attempts include local treatment with pro-angiogenic molecules,Jo although the approach can induce inflammatory coupling, tumorous vasculature activation and off-target circulation. Bioengineers predict that a three-dimensional (3-D) structure could guide desirable biological functions at the implant site, without any therapeutic treatment. In a new report on Nature Communications, Jung Bok Lee and a research team at the Departments of Medical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering in the U.S. and the Republic of Korea generated such microchannel networks in a gelatin hydrogel.
Click here for original story, Microchannel network hydrogel-induced ischemic blood perfusion connection
Source: Phys.org