What does vascularise mean?
Vascularise is a formal verb meaning to cause blood vessels to form in a tissue, organ, graft, or other biological material. The process is especially important in medicine and regenerative medicine, where new tissue needs a blood supply to receive oxygen and nutrients and to support repair. A graft or engineered tissue may be described as vascularising when blood vessels grow into it. The word can also be used more broadly for making something vascular, although this use is less common. In British English, vascularise is the standard spelling; in American English, vascularize is more usual. The term is technical rather than everyday, but it is useful because it names a specific biological process that is central to wound healing, transplantation, tissue growth, and the development of biomedical technologies.
verbTo cause blood vessels to develop in a tissue or organ, or to make something vascular. It is used especially in medicine, biology, and tissue engineering.
- To cause blood vessels to develop in a tissue, organ, graft, or other biological material.
"The researchers designed the scaffold to vascularise rapidly, allowing blood to supply the newly grown tissue."
"The transplanted tissue gradually began to vascularise as new blood vessels grew into it."
"Engineers are developing materials that can vascularise engineered tissue more quickly and effectively."
Vascularise names the process that turns living tissue into a connected blood-supply network, a key step in healing and regenerative medicine.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vascularise
Vascularise was formed in English from the adjective vascular and the verbal suffix -ise, meaning to make or cause to become. Vascular comes through Latin from vasculum, a diminutive of vas, meaning vessel, referring to the small vessels that carry blood or other fluids. Its close relatives include vasculature, the network of blood vessels in an organism, and vasculitis, inflammation of blood vessels.
How vascularise is actually used
This is a specialised formal term used mainly in medical and biological contexts. British English generally uses the ending -ise, while American English commonly uses -ize.
Easily confused with vascularise
Vascularize is the usual American spelling of the British English verb vascularise.