Vascular remodelling is a complex multi-steps process, resulting from a balance between growth and regression. The bone marrow (BM) vascular system is intrinsically connected with the surrounding tissue matrix, the bone, and these two structures develop together in an intricate network of mutual signals (Passaro et al., Jove 2017; Abarrategi et al., J Exp Med. 2018).

The physical and molecular mechanisms driving vascular remodelling in the adult tissue remain poorly characterized. We and others have observed several functional and molecular abnormalities in the BM vascular endothelial microenvironment in the presence of leukemic engraftment.

We will explore the novel frontiers of 3D patterning to bioengineer in vitro a complex tissue mimicking the vascularized BM, providing an alternative flexible tool where genetically or pharmacologically manipulate individual cell types in a highly controllable manner and model the response of the vasculature to specific leukemia-driven stimuli.

​

​