Volumetric Additive Manufacturing of Embedded Channels for Studying Flow and Permeation in Hydrogel Systems
ABSTRACT Creating perfusable vascular networks that replicate physiological flow remains a major challenge in tissue engineering. We present a rapid (<1 min) volumetric additive manufacturing (VAM) method for fabricating tunable, biologically relevant vascular structures that support controlled perfusion. A recyclable GelMA/PEGDA resin was optimized to produce high‐fidelity hydrogels with embedded channels. To study how flow, structure, and function interact, we designed modular perfusion platforms providing precise control over physiological shear stress (3–50 dyne/cm 2 ), flow rates (1–15 mL/min), and pulsatile or continuous flow. These systems enable endothelial attachment, stable perfusion, and permeability measurements, supporting physiologically relevant flow and mass‐transport studies for vascularized grafts and drug‐delivery assays. In addition to controlled perfusion, the VAM process allows fast prototyping (<45 s) and improved biomimicry by generating vascular architectures within soft tissue–like hydrogels (∼10–12 kPa). The platform also permits independent pressure modulation inside the vessel and surrounding matrix, with simulations closely reflecting experimental flow and permeability data and confirming diffusion‐dominated transport. Together, this framework provides a versatile resource for translational vascular modeling and drug‐delivery research.
Authors
- Marco De Corato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9361-4794)
- A.J. Thiry
- Ilargi Balda Lorenzo
- Kacper Pietrzak
- Adam Junka
- Armin Shavandi
- Maria Jose Gomez‐Benito
- Eleanor Stride
- Julia Stanny (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4542-9188)
Institutions
- Université Libre de Bruxelles (BE)
- Universidad de Zaragoza (ES)
- École Supérieure d'Ingénieurs en Génie Électrique (FR)
- Wroclaw Medical University (PL)
- Oxford BioMedica (United Kingdom) (GB)
- Universitat de Barcelona (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Materials Technologies
- Published
- 2026-05-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.71020
- Primary Topic
- 3D Printing in Biomedical Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00