Engineered Vasculature for Cancer Research and Regenerative Medicine

Engineered human tissues created by three-dimensional cell culture of human cells in a hydrogel are becoming emerging model systems for cancer drug discovery and regenerative medicine. Complex functional engineered tissues can also assist in the regeneration, repair, or replacement of human tissues. However, one of the main hurdles for tissue engineering, three-dimensional cell culture, and regenerative medicine is the capability of delivering nutrients and oxygen to cells through the vasculatures. Several studies have investigated different strategies to create a functional vascular system in engineered tissues and organ-on-a-chips. Engineered vasculatures have been used for the studies of angiogenesis, vasculogenesis, as well as drug and cell transports across the endothelium. Moreover, vascular engineering allows the creation of large functional vascular conduits for regenerative medicine purposes. However, there are still many challenges in the creation of vascularized tissue constructs and their biological applications. This review will summarize the latest efforts to create vasculatures and vascularized tissues for cancer research and regenerative medicine.

A new method of measuring in vivo sound speed in the reflection mode

This paper describes a new method for in vivo sound measurement in the reflection mode. The mean sound speed between the reflector and linear array transducer is measured using the following three parameters: time of flight, time of flight difference, and distance between two receiver elements. To detect time of flight, the system delay-line time compensator is adjusted to obtain the sharpest reflector image. This method was evaluated in vivo in human livers, specifically 26 normal, 27 cirrhotic, and 15 fatty livers. The mean sound speed between diaphragm and the transducer was obtained. The measured sound speed was significantly higher in cirrhotic livers and lower in fatty livers.