The Humane Research Trust is funding a research project to create a new, animal-free model of the human vascular system. By harnessing microfluidic and 3D bioprinting technologies, the UCL scientists will recreate the structure and function of human blood vessels in the laboratory. This will provide a new way to study cardiovascular diseases and develop diagnostic tools and interventions, without using animals.
Cardiovascular diseases are a group of conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels. This includes coronary heart disease, peripheral artery disease, aortic atherosclerosis, and stroke. They are the leading cause of death worldwide, with 17.9 million people dying every year as a result of a cardiovascular condition. In total, they account for 31% of global deaths.
To tackle cardiovascular diseases, clinicians need tools to diagnose them earlier and more effective treatments to offer patients. But before scientists can develop these tools and interventions, they need to study the factors affecting normal vascular function and the changes that ultimately cause disease.
Traditionally, cardiovascular research has involved experiments on animals such as mice, pigs, and rabbits. However, genetic differences between species often mean findings from animal studies don’t translate into results for humans. Additionally, there is a major ethical toll associated with the use of animal experiments. Between 2014 and 2023 alone, 2.76 million live animals were used and killed in British cardiovascular research projects.
Alternative methods like 2D cellular models have helped advance knowledge about disease pathways without live animal experiments. This kind of research involves the growth of single types of cells on flat plates in the lab. However, these models are too simplistic to fully capture the complexity and variability of the human vascular system. For example, they don’t account for factors like local blood flow patterns or the interaction and crosstalk of different kinds of cells.
“The molecular mechanisms driving cardiovascular diseases, particularly in their early stages, are not well understood.” explains Prof Deepak Kalaskar, Professor of Bioengineering at University College London (UCL). “Understanding the interaction between blood flow and vessel walls is crucial. For this, we need human-relevant 3D models that can incorporate multiple cell types and realistic anatomical features.”
Increasingly, scientists are turning to new technologies and methods to help them learn more about cardiovascular health. They can grow vascular tissue in the laboratory, using tools like microfluidics to mimic blood flow, and 3D bioprinting to culture complex arrangements of cells.
The Humane Research Trust is currently funding a research project at UCL to develop a new, advanced model of the human vascular system. Led by Prof Kalaskar, the scientists will use these approaches to bioengineer human blood vessels that replicate the functionality and behaviour of those found in the body.
They will test the synthetic blood vessels to confirm they can mimic the changes to the vascular system that occur during disease. By comparing their results to those from pre-existing models, they will ensure that their platform can simulate both normal and diseased states. This would confirm that their non-animal model could replacing traditional animal testing.
Additionally, they plan to adapt and improve current cell-based approaches to no longer require animal products. They will replace traditional laboratory products - such as animal-derived collagen and laminin - with fully synthetic materials. Going forward, this could mean that new studies into cardiovascular diseases could be carried out using entirely animal-free methods.
Additionally, this approach has scope to facilitate the delivery of personalised medicine. Through a collaboration with a local biobank, the UCL scientists can access donated tissue from patients. Using patient derived stem cells, they will investigate how variants like sex differences can affect vascular function and disease progression.
“By providing a more accurate and human-relevant model, our project will not only enhance our understanding of cardiovascular diseases but also facilitate the development of new therapies, ultimately leading to better clinical outcomes,” says Prof Kalaskar.
“It will also reduce reliance on animal testing. We estimate that our platform could save approximately 3,000 mice annually in the UK. Wider adoption of our 3D model could reduce animal use worldwide by over 500,000 mice annually.”
Prof Deepak Kalaskar
Principal investigator
Prof Kalaskar is a Professor of Bioengineering at University College London. His laboratory is focused on developing, testing and applying materials to solve real problems in medicine. This includes using state-of-the-art technologies like 3D printing to build advanced cell cultures for research, and develop and refine medical devices for patients.
Sushma Priya
Postdoctoral researcher
Sushma holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, and is now a visiting researcher at University College London. Her work involves developing, maintaining, and using complex cell culture tissue models for solving clinical challenges. Most recently, she's been 3D printing blood vessels to replace the use of animals in surgical training.
