New growth of endothelium (green), which will form new blood vessels in a section of muscle in mice. Nuclei are stained blue.
AG SHASTRI

Researchers stimulated new blood vessel growth in mice by implanting a hydrogel that has a similar stiffness to a blood clot. The result links mechanical cues in the microenvironment to the maturation and stabilization of blood vessels.

A. Forget et al., “Mechanically defined microenvironment promotes stabilization of microvasculature, which correlates with the enrichment of a novel piezo-1+ population of circulating CD11b+/CD115+ monocytes,” Advanced Materials, doi:10.1002/adma.201808050, 2019.

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blood vessel hydrogel microvasculature endothelium

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