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Scientists have developed a new method to quickly grow lab-made blood vessel organoids that could help heal injured tissues. Typically, creating such organoids from stem cells takes weeks and produces vessels that don't closely resemble those in the human body. But a team led by Juan Melero-Martin at Harvard University has found a way to engineer human stem cells that rapidly form blood vessels in just five days when exposed to the antibiotic doxycycline. These new organoids show protein and gene activity closely matching that of natural human blood vessels.
To test their potential in healing, researchers blocked blood flow in the legs of mice and then implanted 1,000 of the blood vessel organoids into the affected areas. Two weeks later, they found that the implanted vessels had merged with the mice's natural vasculature, restoring blood flow to about 50% of normal levels. This significantly reduced tissue death compared to untreated mice, where around 90% of tissue was lost.
The team also tested the organoids in diabetic mice receiving pancreatic transplants. Those given both the organoids and the pancreatic tissue had much better blood sugar control than mice that only received the pancreatic transplant. These results suggest the organoids could be a powerful tool for improving outcomes in a range of medical conditions, from traumatic injuries to chronic diseases.
Beyond direct treatments, the breakthrough could also revolutionize lab-grown organ research. Until now, mini-organs often failed to grow beyond a few millimetres because they lacked blood vessels and would die from lack of nutrients. This new method offers a solution by allowing researchers to add functioning blood vessels, paving the way for more realistic and useful models of human organs and diseases.
