3D human blood-vessel model to understand blood clots and test treatments
Official title: High-throughput Imaging-integrated Vascular Model for Understanding Thromboembolism and Therapeutics Screening
Funded at Brigham and Women's Hospital · NIH-11504755 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are building a 3D human blood-vessel model with live imaging to speed testing of clot-preventing and clot-breaking treatments for people at risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2023 |
| Project end | November 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $79,469 |
| NIH project number | 3R01HL166522-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11504755 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for related participation would be people with a history of or high risk for venous thromboembolism (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) or those willing to donate blood or tissue samples to help build the models.
✕Less likely to help
People whose health issues are unrelated to venous clotting (for example, isolated arterial disease or non-thrombotic conditions) are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
This project creates lab-grown three-dimensional blood vessels using human cells and integrates real-time, non-invasive imaging to watch how clots form and respond to medicines. The team will expose these vascular models to viruses and anticoagulant or antiviral drugs to see how treatments change clot behavior. The platform is designed for higher-throughput screening so many compounds can be screened faster than with animal tests. Results aim to better reflect human clotting biology and help prioritize safer, more effective therapies for further development.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify safer and more effective clot-preventing or clot-dissolving drugs more quickly, potentially lowering VTE-related complications and deaths.
How similar studies have gone: Other organ-on-chip and 3D vascular models have shown promise in reproducing human clotting responses, but using them to bring new approved therapies to patients is still an emerging area.
Where this research is happening
-
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhang, Y. Shrike — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Zhang, Y. Shrike
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.