A step closer to artificial organs: UV light shapes arteriole-scale hydrogel vessels
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The creation of fully artificial organs is a sci-fi dream, and researchers in Japan may have brought it one step closer to reality by developing a new photofabrication technique (i.e., a light-controlled synthetic method) for constructing arteriole-scale tubular hydrogels. Their research is published in the journal Advanced Materials.
For a synthetic tissue or organ to be fully functional, not only must the artificial tissue be constructed, but a vascular network around it also must be created. This network of surrounding blood vessels supplies oxygen and nutrients to tissues; without it, engineering functional artificial organs is impossible. Currently, building this network is a bottleneck in artificial tissue development, and constructing midsize blood vessels, or arterioles, is particularly challenging.
"While numerous methods have shown promise in the synthesis of smaller capillaries and larger arteries, the ability to construct arterioles that provide the link between these systems is an unresolved problem in the development of artificial vascular networks," says senior author Keisuke Morishima. "However, our team has recently developed a method to bridge this critical gap by continuously forming ring structures at meniscus interfaces."
This technique uses an innovative strategy that leverages the surface tension that creates a meniscus at an oil–hydrogel interface in a small channel. The meniscus effect creates a curve in the liquid, similar to the surface of water in a glass. Shining UV light onto this curved surface causes the hydrogel to form a ring-like structure at the channel wall. Repeating this process at precise points along the channel builds a series of rings, gradually forming a hollow tubular hydrogel structure. This approach was successfully used to construct hydrogel structures similar in size and shape to natural arterioles.
Hydrogel tubular structures could be created with controlled lumen sizes and complex geometries, including curved and branched configurations. Multiple materials could be combined in one structure, reducing the material-switching steps and waste of conventional fabrication.
"Such complex architecture would be necessary for the successful creation of a synthetic vascular network," explains Morishima. In addition, a lack of stability has been an issue in the development of softer tubular hydrogels, but the team was able to form tubular structures using softer, biologically relevant hydrogels with good stability. The process could also be automated by combining image processing and synchronized UV irradiation, creating smoother surfaces than previous discrete layer-by-layer fabrication.
"Integrating these hydrogel fabrication systems with precise microfluidic flow control components has strong potential for the easy production of vascular models of living systems—a key step toward the development of fully synthetic tissues," says lead author Yuki Kamiya.
While the creation of fully functional artificial tissues is still a long way off, this research paves the way for creating vascular models to investigate how artificial tissues and organs may one day become a reality. Beyond artificial organs, potential applications include drug discovery, disease modeling, food technology, soft robotics and biohybrid systems.
Publication details
Yuki Kamiya et al, Meniscus‐Guided Interfacial Ring‐by‐Ring Assembly for In Situ Fabrication of Tubular Hydrogels, Advanced Materials (2026). DOI: 10.1002/adma.74064
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Citation: A step closer to artificial organs: UV light shapes arteriole-scale hydrogel vessels (2026, July 29) retrieved 29 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-closer-artificial-uv-arteriole-scale.html
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