Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages Enhance Vessel Stability in Modular Engineered Tissues.

IMPACT STATEMENT: This work demonstrates an effective method of enhancing the stability of a newly formed vasculature in modular engineered tissues in vivo through the counterintuitive implantation of allogeneic macrophages. Furthermore, we provide a detailed method for analyzing macrophage phenotype in vascularized explants and assess the role of added mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) on that phenotype. Enhanced vascular stability may permit the development of increasingly large, clinically relevant tissues, fully permeated by blood vessels integrated with the host vasculature.