On November 14, the University of Oulu in Finland announced that their researchers have developed a new method to create functional blood vessels within organoids—miniature models of organs grown in the laboratory.
The University of Oulu in Finland has announced that their researchers have developed a new method to create functional blood vessels within organoids. (Photo: oulu.fi).
Organoids, which mimic the structure and function of actual organs in the body, play a crucial role in biomedical research. However, creating a complete vascular system within organoids has always been a significant challenge.
The research team at the University of Oulu addressed this issue by using the chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and a specialized device. Professor of Developmental Biology Seppo Vainio at the University of Oulu explained that when cultured on the CAM, blood vessels in the organoids not only form but also connect with the circulatory system of the chicken embryo, providing sufficient oxygen for development.
The breakthrough of this method lies in its ability to maintain the vascular network when transferring organoids to other artificial culture environments. This technique, tested on kidney organoids (which are particularly challenging to vascularize), marks a significant advancement in organoid technology. With functional blood vessels, these organoids operate more like actual organs, making them especially valuable for disease research and new drug testing. The University of Oulu believes that this method could help scientists accelerate research on kidney-related diseases, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension.
