Bioengineered Vascular Equivalents for In Vitro Disease Modeling

Cardiovascular diseases arise from complex interactions among vascular architecture, cellular organization, extracellular matrix, and hemodynamic cues, which are difficult to reproduce using conventional in vitro models. To address this challenge, we developed biofabrication strategies for constructing human vascular equivalents with controlled tissue organization and disease-relevant microenvironments. Using vascular extracellular matrix-based bioinks, coaxial bioprinting, and suspended multi-material 3D bioprinting, we established perfusable vascular constructs with defined cellular organization and tunable geometries. These vascular equivalents were further engineered to recapitulate pathological hemodynamic environments and disease-associated tissue remodeling, including the formation of plaque-like microtissues with spatially organized cellular and extracellular components. The resulting models reproduced key features of vascular disease progression and therapeutic response. Together, these studies establish a biofabrication-based framework for reconstructing vascular structure, hemodynamics, and pathological remodeling in vitro, providing human-relevant platforms for mechanistic studies and drug evaluation.

Dr. Ge Gao has over 10 years of research experience in vascular biofabrication and vascular tissue engineering, with a particular focus on 3D bioprinting, biomaterials and bioinks, engineered vascular tissues, and in vitro vascular disease models. His research focuses on developing advanced biofabrication strategies to reconstruct the structural, cellular, and biomechanical microenvironments of human blood vessels for applications in vascular regeneration, disease modeling, drug evaluation, and precision medicine. He has published extensively in leading journals, including Nature Communications, Advanced Functional Materials, Biomaterials, Theranostics, and Medical Image Analysis. His work has received more than 5,300 citations, with an h-index exceeding 30, and he has been recognized among the World’s Top 2% Scientists for four consecutive years.