Photoacoustic imaging of 3D-printed vascular models

Understanding thrombosis formation is necessary for developing safe and effective treatments. We fabricated sophisticated in vitro models of blood vessels with internal microchannels by using digital light processing-based 3D printing method. Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) offers a useful platform for imaging 3D-printed vascular structures with different patterns of microchannels. Our results show that PAM can provide clear microchannel structures at depths up to 3.6 mm. We further quantified the blood oxygenation in the 3D-printed vascular models, showing that thrombi had much lower oxygenation than the normal blood. Integration of PAM with 3D printing/bioprinting will enable numerous applications in tissue engineering.