Bioengineered Vessel Grafts-Based Innovative Human Aortic Aneurysm Model: A Translational Platform for Drug Screening
Creators
Description
Aortic aneurysm (AA) is a serious condition that can be fatal in over 95% of cases if it ruptures. One major problem in AA research is
that it is hard to get human tissue samples from patients during the early stages of the disease. Samples we get from surgical repair
are likely to undergo changes over a long period of time. Another challenge is that animal studies often do not match human results.
This shows that we need a better way to study AA using human-based models and discover effective drugs. To solve this problem, I
created the first functional human aneurysm model by making bioengineered blood vessels (BVGs) from patient stem cells and
implanting them into animals. These BVGs show similar growth and even rupture, just like aneurysms in patients. Since it shows the
same tissue damage as seen in patients, the BVG model is a more accurate way to study the disease. This means our new model can
better predict which drugs will work in patients before costly human clinical trials start. We will test different drugs to see which
ones can stop aneurysm growth in our model. We will also study how these treatments affect aneurysm growth at the cell and
tissue level to ensure they are safe and effective. This new model will help find better treatments for AA faster, making therapies
safer and more effective while saving time and money on drugs that don’t work. In short, this transformational research strongly
supports the AHA mission.