Developmental Phases of On-Chip Vasculogenesis Classified Using A Deep Learning Visual Model

Vasculogenesis, the formation of de novo blood vessels, occurs in several fundamental physiological and pathological processes, including embryonic development, adult angioblast mobilization, and tumor development. Although substantial research has been performed on vasculogenesis, a comprehensive understanding of the morphological changes during the developmental process of vasculature remains elusive. Here, we report a deep learning-based visual methodology in conjugation with a vasculature-on-a-chip model that can recognize and classify the developmental phases of an on-chip vascular network. Combining the unsupervised and supervised learning strategies, three distinct time-dependent morphological phases during vasculogenesis were identified. The temporal variation trajectory of vascular morphology during entire vascularization process was revealed.