Machine to dynamically condition tissue engineered vasculature

Cyclic loading is an important stimulus for creating mechanically stable tissue engineered blood vessels. The goal of this work is to create a device that dynamically conditions rings of vascular tissue created by cells in culture without the use of a scaffold. To create a high-throughput and accurate yet inexpensive device, a dual-regulator pressure source and electronic valve controller were utilized to cyclically inflate up to 32 ring segments cultured on a series of silicone tubes encased in standard sterile conical tubes. This device will be used to determine the dynamic culture conditions that optimize engineered vessel growth and maturation in culture.