Fabrication of interconnected model vasculature

1. A method of forming a substantially interconnected vascular network, comprising:

forming a fiber network comprising a plurality of fibers and a void space, wherein the plurality of fibers is capable of dissolving or degrading in water;

surface coating the plurality of fibers with a surface coating material, wherein the surface coating material does not backfill the void space;

backfilling the void space of the fiber network with an aqueous solution comprising a biomaterial, wherein the biomaterial and the surface coating material are different materials;

cross-linking the biomaterial to form a hydrogel in the void space; and

removing the fibers to form a substantially interconnected vascular network comprising fluidic channels wherein the fibers comprise at least one material selected from the group consisting of: photoresist, agarose, gelatin, carbohydrates, sucrose, glucose, fructose, lactose, isomalt, dextran, cellulose, methylcellulose, poly(lactic acid), poly(ethylene glycol), and chitosan, and

wherein the surface coating material comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of: polylactic acid, a solution of polylactic acid in dichloromethane, poly(lactic co-glycolic acid), a solution of poly(lactic co-glycolic acid) in chloroform, collagen, gelatin, zein, shellac, a starch, and petroleum jelly.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein forming a fiber network comprises using electrospinning with a Taylor cone that produces fiber diameters with a standard deviation greater than about plus or minus 10%, a plurality of melt extrusion dies or melt extrusion speeds, a three-dimensional printer, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the biomaterial comprises at least one biomaterial selected from the group consisting of: a polyamide, poly(2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate), poly(vinyl alcohol), polyacrylamide, poly(ethylene glycol), a polyurethane, collagen, agarose, albumin, alginate, chitosan, starch, hyaluronic acid, gelatin, fibrin, matrigel, glycerol, glycol, mannitol, inositol, xylitol, adonitol, glycine, arginine, biological polymeric molecules, albumin, peptide amphiphiles, and monomers, dimers, and oligomers thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the aqueous solution further comprises at least one component selected from the group consisting of: a suspension of living cells, a protein, DNA, a nanoparticles, and a moiety used for drug delivery.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the aqueous solution further comprises a human bone morphogenic protein or a DNA plasmid that encodes for a protein that stimulates mineralization and bone formation.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of removing the fibers is performed by wet etching or dissolution.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of removing the fibers is performed by degradation.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein forming a fiber network comprises using electrospinning with a Taylor cone that produces fiber diameters with a standard deviation greater than about plus or minus 10%.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein forming a fiber network comprises using a plurality of melt extrusion dies or varying melt extrusion speeds.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein forming a fiber network comprises using a three-dimensional printer.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the fiber network is a non-woven fiber network.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the aqueous solution further comprises a suspension of living cells; and wherein the step of removing the fibers does not damage the living cells.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of fibers are hollow.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of fibers are solid.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying heat to at least a portion of the fiber network prior to backfilling the void space of the fiber network.