Microfabrication of shaped mm-scale tissues to study vascular development

Recapitulating developmental mechanisms in vitro necessitate models of intermediate complexity, between simple 2D culture and complex in vivo models, which integrate both physical and molecular cues. Here, we describe a cheap and simple bottom-up microfabrication method to build 3D millimeter-scale tissues with geometric shapes. These tissues are suitable for long-term culture in tissue-based assays and as implants for clinical applications. In a case study, we recapitulate some mechanisms of vasculogenesis, the assembly of capillary blood vessels.