Launching Vessels

Organoids are increasingly common tools for biomedical research. Living models of complex organs and tissues grown from stem cells outside the body, they allow experiments that would be impossible or unethical in the 'real thing'. Here we see an intricate network of vessels inside a blood vascular organoid (artificially highlighted in red) grown from mouse cells. Researchers find these organoids respond to chemicals guiding their development in different ways. Watching patterns emerge in the growing endothelial cells reveals clues to early development. But this is particularly useful to cancer, where new vessels often develop – a process called angiogenesis – prompted by mutated cells needing nourishment while they grow. Incorporating cancer cells into blood vascular organoids would allow researchers to study these early changes, and test disruptive drugs, without risk to patients.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Video from work by Sophie Guelfi and colleagues
• Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Therapeutic Resistance, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology, Leuven, Belgium
• Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in Science Advances, October 2025