prekvasculisering

Prekvasculisering, or prevascularization, is a strategy in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering aimed at forming functional vascular networks within a tissue construct before it is implanted into the body. The goal is to improve graft survival and rapid perfusion by connecting engineered vessels to the host circulatory system after transplantation.

Methods used to achieve prekvasculisering include in vitro approaches such as seeding scaffolds with endothelial cells, pericytes, or progenitor cells in co-culture, creating microchannels through 3D bioprinting, and using perfusion bioreactors to promote vessel maturation. Decellularized extracellular matrices can serve as scaffolds that support endogenous vessel ingrowth when repopulated with vascular cells. In vivo strategies involve implanting the scaffold in a well-vascularized site to allow native vessels to populate and stabilize the construct before final transplantation, or stimulating in situ angiogenesis after implantation with growth factors or pro-angiogenic cues.

Applications span various tissues, including bone, muscle, skin, adipose tissue, and other engineered organs or grafts where rapid perfusion is critical. Prevascularization has shown promise in improving graft integration, reducing ischemic necrosis, and shortening the time to functional perfusion in preclinical models and, increasingly, in early clinical explorations.

Limitations and challenges include replicating the full complexity of native vasculature, ensuring stable and mature vessel connections with the host, immunological considerations, scalability, and regulatory hurdles. Ongoing research focuses on optimizing cell types, scaffold designs, and culture conditions to translate prekvasculisering into reliable clinical therapies.