Perfusing Cerebral Organoids by Inducing Vascular Growth With 3D Printed Perfusion Devices

Abstract

This project focuses on devising a method of perfusing through a brain organoid in vitro in order to create a robust method of studying three-dimensional tissues and organ architectures. In addition, these devices are designed specifically to be scalable, because they can be manufactured in an array, which allows for rapid repeated experimentation with organoids. These goals are accomplished by implanting an organoid into the perfusion device, and then lining surrounding channels with endothelial cells. The conditions of the perfusion induce the growth of microvasculature in the organoid to connect with the larger channels. This paper focuses on the optimization of each aspect of the device setup, and then the experiments conducted to try to achieve perfusion. Although perfusion was not achieved according to the final flow visualization experiment, most other conditions of the chip were optimized, and these results provide clear indications of changes that can be made to improve the chip. This work has applications in drug delivery, developmental studies, and disease modeling, and the potential to be expanded to other types of organoids so that this technology can be used on a wider scale.