PFI-TT: Automated Manufacturing of Blood Vessels

Brown University, Providence RI

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this PFI project is a new and innovative method for the automated manufacture of living blood vessels. This research will yield new scientific as well as engineering knowledge into the automation processes to manufacture a new class of living products. Such fundamental knowledge will help usher in the next era of high-value bio-manufacturing and is needed to sustain the competitive advantage of our manufacturing economy. As a product, manufactured living bloods vessels have significant commercial potential in at least two areas. Manufactured blood vessels will be a less expensive alternative that replaces the use of animals in the testing of medical devices. Manufactured blood vessels will be used to treat and repair cardiovascular disease. The proposed project will design, build and test a new fully automatic system for the manufacture of small living blood vessels to be used for reducing the use of animals in the testing of medical devices and to be ultimately used to treat patients with heart disease. To develop this automated manufacturing system, the project will add human cells to a specially designed mold to form living building parts in the shape of round donuts. A robot will be programmed to retrieve these donut-shaped living building parts one-by-one and drop them into a specially designed funnel where the stack of donuts will form a long tube or living blood vessel. The built blood vessels will be housed in a bioreactor tank that controls the temperature and recirculates the broth needed to provide the nutrients that nourish and mature the living blood vessels until they are ready for use. This novel automated process will manufacture living blood vessels for research testing and for clinical application. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.