Endothelialized perfusable microvascular networks for biofabrication of standardized in vitro tissue models (C07[B02])

• Subject Area: Cardiology, Angiology ; Biomaterials
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 326998133

The Project focuses on the fabrication of perfusable endothelialized microvascular networks mimicking the peripheral vessels and the blood-brain barrier. These will serve as a basis for functional, tissue-specific investigations in health and disease. Building on previous knowledge and methods, free-form printing of Poly(2-oxazoline) will be used to increase the complexity of sacrificial structures and incorporate functional, stable vessel-like structures into complex 3D tissue models. The developed models should better reflect physiological conditions and improve predictive power in preclinical testing.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 225: From the Fundamentals of Biofabrication towards Functional Tissue Models
• Applicant Institution: Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
• Project Heads: Dr. Antje Appelt-Menzel, since 1/2026; Professorin Iwona Cicha, Ph.D., since 1/2026; Dr. Matthias Ryma, since 1/2026