HemoLens: Mechanical Assessment of Native and Tissue-Engineered Blood Vessels

Overview

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. Severe CAD often necessitates the implantation of vascular grafts to redirect blood flow around blocked arteries. However, patients frequently lack suitable native grafts due to preexisting conditions. Tissue engineering and 3D bioprinting hold promise in developing alternatives, but no FDA-approved Tissue Engineered Vascular Graft (TEVG) exists, largely due to poor mechanical properties. Furthermore, current technologies to mechanically evaluate these TEVGs, like pressure and pin myography systems, are costly (>$7000) and don't test TEVGs in a pulsatile pressure environment, limiting testing throughput and comprehensiveness. To address these challenges, we introduce HemoLens, an affordable (<$500), open-source, and modular hemodynamic emulating device. HemoLens includes (i) a 3D-printed vessel micromanipulation system, (ii) a camera gantry for live diameter tracking, (iii) a "ratchet" system for discrete pressure increments, and (iv) the Regular Adjustment of Modular Pressure (RAMP) system for customizable, cyclic pulses of physiological (120/80) and pathological (180+/80) pressure. Demonstrating HemoLens' broad applicability, we found that arteries from hypertensive mice had lower dynamic compliance than normotensive controls. Then, we 3D-bioprinted Collagen-I acellular vessel scaffolds as a proof-of-concept TEVG. HemoLens measured the burst pressure of these scaffolds at pressures up to ~500 mmHg, and analyzed their response to physiological and pathological pressure profiles. These results establish HemoLens as a versatile, low-cost platform for robust mechanical evaluation of native and engineered vessels, advancing TEVGs' clinical potential and bringing us closer to FDA approval.

Competition history

• AJAS 2025 Category not listed

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