The barren soil on the cover of this issue represents a poorly vascularized subcutaneous environment. A subcutaneously implanted polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tube elicits a foreign-body response, recruiting neutrophils and reparative macrophages that promote the formation of a dense vascular network. Within this prevascularized site, transplanted vascular organoid “seeds” integrate with host circulation, while islet “fruits” attached to the vascular branches restore glucose homeostasis. This image illustrates a vascularization strategy followed by transplantation validation: Subcutaneous prevascularization is induced by a foreign-body response elicited by an implanted material, followed by organoid or islet transplantation. In diabetic mice, even a marginal dose of islets rapidly normalizes blood glucose, demonstrating that a prevascularized subcutaneous space could serve as a reliable platform for cell therapies.
