Human blood vessels form a complex network that goes far beyond simple straight tubes. They twist, branch, narrow, and widen, creating intricate pathways that influence how blood moves throughout the body. For a long time, laboratory models treated vessels as uniform, straight channels, which, while useful for basic research, did not reflect the real conditions in which many vascular diseases develop.

New Technology for Vascular Modeling

To more accurately replicate the structure of human blood vessels, researchers from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University have developed a customizable "vessel-on-a-chip" system. This innovative technology allows scientists to study vascular diseases more realistically and test new drugs. Vessel-on-a-chip devices are microfluidic systems that mimic human blood vessels on a miniature scale. They can be tailored to individual patients and used to analyze blood flow and evaluate potential treatments without the need for animal experiments.

Graduate student Jennifer Li, working in Dr. Abhishek Jain's lab, created an advanced vessel-on-a-chip capable of reproducing a wide range of shapes found in real blood vessels. "There are branched vessels, aneurysms with sudden expansions, and stenoses that cause narrowing. All these vessel types significantly change blood flow patterns and the level of shear stress on the vessel's inner surface," Li explains. "This is exactly what we aimed to model."

Project Development and Scientific Significance

Li's work builds on previous research in the lab. Several years ago, her mentor, Dr. Tanmay Mathur, developed a straight vessel-on-a-chip. Both projects were carried out in the Bioinspired Translational Microsystems Laboratory under Jain's guidance, an associate professor and faculty fellow in biomedical engineering. Li's study was published in the journal Lab on a Chip and will be featured on the cover of the May 2025 issue. "Now we can study vascular diseases in ways that were previously impossible," Jain notes. "We can not only create complex structures but also place real cells and tissues inside, making them come alive. These are often the sites where vascular pathologies develop, so understanding them is extremely important."

The Researcher's Journey

Jennifer Li joined Jain's lab as an honors undergraduate, seeking hands-on research experience. At the time, she knew little about organ-on-a-chip technologies, but as she explored the field, she became interested in its potential for the future of medicine. This curiosity motivated her to continue in the accelerated master's program. "Jennifer showed persistence, curiosity, and creativity, quickly becoming involved in research projects. Our accelerated program allows students like Jennifer to take on meaningful and ambitious research, see it through to results and publication," Jain says.

Future Prospects for the Technology

Although the current vessel-on-a-chip already provides more realistic vessel modeling, the team plans to further develop the project. For now, Li's model includes only endothelial cells—the cells lining the inner surface of vessels—but in the future, they plan to add other cell types. This will help deepen our understanding of how different tissues interact with each other and with blood flow. "We are moving toward creating what is called the fourth dimension of organ-on-a-chip, where we focus not only on cells and flow but also on their interactions in more complex architectural states—this is a new direction in the field," Jain says.

Practical Skills and Teamwork

In addition to technical knowledge, Li notes that working in the lab helped her develop practical skills beyond the classroom. Collaborating with colleagues, graduate students, and postdocs gave her experience in teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. "It's a great environment for interacting not only with peers but also with graduate students and postdocs," she says. "You can learn teamwork, communication, work ethic, and try your hand at different tasks. I think it's a very valuable experience for students. We have excellent research labs."

Support and Funding

The project has received support from several major organizations, including the U.S. Army Medical Research Program, NASA, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the Texas A&M University Innovation Fund.