High blood pressure, or hypertension, doesn’t just affect numbers on a monitor—it changes the very structure of the blood vessels through a process known as arterial remodeling.

They found that organoids exposed to fentanyl generated more blood vessels. "We don't know how that might manifest in a newborn yet, but it's a difference," Abilez said.

Damage to the vascular lining leads to interactions with red blood cells that hint at how to treat dangerous complications of heart attack, stroke and COVID-19.