Mechanically Spatio‐Chimeric Fibrin Assembly Enables Vascular‐Integrated Muscle Reconstruction for Volumetric Muscle Loss Repair
Abstract
ABSTRACT Volumetric muscle loss (VML), a severe injury involving irreversible loss of both muscle tissue and vasculature, poses a major barrier to the development of clinically viable muscle grafts. Functional restoration requires engineered constructs capable of reconstructing both contractile and vascular components that can functionally integrate with the host vasculature. Here, we introduce SPARC (spatio‐chimeric, plasma‐based, anisotropic, and shear‐responsive construct), a mechanically bimodal fibrin hydrogel engineered via shear‐guided assembly of plasma fibrin to recreate the structural and mechanical heterogeneity of native muscle. Controlled microfluidic shear generates aligned fibrillar bundles and a spatially graded bimodal stiffness architecture, establishing stiff, bundle‐dense regions that favor myogenic differentiation and compliant regions that promote endothelial morphogenesis. When co‐cultured with myoblasts and endothelial cells, the resulting anisotropic matrix directs spatially organized myogenic maturation and endothelial morphogenesis. In vivo evaluation in a murine VML model shows that vascularized muscle SPARC grafts restore muscle architecture and function, promoting neovascularization, myofiber regeneration, and enhanced motor recovery. Through its spatially mechano‐programmed design, SPARC enables coordinated myogenic and endothelial organization within a single construct, establishing a scalable biofabrication strategy for functional repair of extensive muscle defects.
Article Details
Authors (7)
Su Hyun Jung
Department of Biomedical Engineering College of Information and Biotechnology Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) Ulsan Republic of Korea
Minjun Kim
Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
Da‐Yoon Kim
Department of Biomedical Engineering College of Information and Biotechnology Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) Ulsan Republic of Korea
Min Kyu Kim
Sieun Lee
Yoonhee Jin
Joo H. Kang
Department of Biomedical Engineering College of Information and Biotechnology Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) Ulsan Republic of Korea