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By Aurelia Munoz •
Updated: 16 Nov 2024 • 8:48 • 1 minute read
The University of Oulu in Finland has published a study on a revolutionary technology that enables the growth of functional blood vessels within organoids.
This breakthrough in organoid development is expected to accelerate global research into kidney disease, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension. But how can blood vessels grow in an organoid? And what exactly is an organoid?
What is an organoid?
An organoid is a three-dimensional cell structure created in laboratories to mimic the structure and function of a real organ (a miniature version of an organ).
Why is the addition of blood vessels to an organoid important?
The addition of blood vessels is crucial for organoids to better replicate the function of real organs, thereby increasing their usefulness in medical research.
How are blood vessels created in an organoid?
This is where the Finnish team’s innovation comes in. They used the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of a chicken embryo along with a microfluidic device.
Why is this discovery a breakthrough?
Using this technique, the researchers were able not only to grow blood vessels in the chicken embryo but also to connect them to the chicken’s circulatory system. This connection supplies oxygen to the organoid, which is essential for its development.
“A key breakthrough of this technique is that the vascularised organoids can also be transferred onto an artificial growth platform while retaining their functional vascular network,” explained Professor Seppo Vainio, Professor of Developmental Biology at the University of Oulu.
The research focuses on organs that filter blood, such as kidneys. Growing blood vessels in kidney organoids is a major achievement, as functional vascular networks have only been partially developed until now.
Another success is that, traditionally, organoids have been developed using animal models. However, the researchers have created a new method that could reduce the need for animal testing and enable longer-term studies, such as drug testing and advancements in tissue engineering.
The University of Oulu is optimistic about how this innovation will contribute to the study of diseases like kidney failure and the development of new drugs.
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