Article by: Harper Mason, on 08 July 2023, at 01:45 am PDT

Penn State researchers have been awarded a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to advance the field of regenerative medicine by developing innovative techniques for restoring soft tissue loss in patients through tissue revascularization and blood vessel pattern formation.

Led by principal investigator Amir Sheikhi, assistant professor of chemical engineering, the interdisciplinary team aims to address the challenges of tissue revascularization, a crucial step in regenerative medicine. Conventional techniques often fall short in rapidly restoring blood flow to grafts, flaps, and engineered scaffolds during traumatic injury repair.

The researchers plan to combine protein-based granular hydrogel biomaterials with a microsurgical approach called vascular micropuncture. Sheikhi's hydrogel scaffolds, composed of interconnected microscale hydrogel particles, allow for precise control over cell interaction and assembly, guiding tissue architecture and promoting the formation of new blood vessels.

In parallel, the team will utilize vascular micropuncture, developed by co-principal investigator Dino Ravnic, to puncture blood vessels with microneedles. This technique accelerates the formation of new blood vessels without the need for growth factors or additional molecules, ensuring targeted and controlled blood vessel development.

The initial tests will involve human cells cultured in vitro from patient samples, followed by animal studies using rodents. The combination of these two techniques is expected to facilitate the rapid and organized formation of blood vessels in a hierarchical pattern, resembling tree branches that allow for proper blood flow, oxygen diffusion, and immune cell modulation within reconstructed or injured soft tissue.

The grant collaboration also includes Shayn Peirce-Cottler, professor and chair of biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia, enhancing the expertise and multidisciplinary approach of the research team.