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Automated Robotic Dispensing Technique for Surface Guidance and Bioprinting of Cells
Published on: November 18, 2016
Two-step cell patterning on planar and complex curved surfaces by precision spraying of polymers
Mauris N De Silva1, Jason Paulsen, Michael J Renn
1Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
|December 17, 2005
Summary
Precision spraying (PS) offers a novel method for rapidly creating cell patterns on both flat and curved surfaces. This technique overcomes limitations of current cell patterning methods, enabling diverse applications in tissue engineering and biosensors.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Materials Science
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Controlling cell adhesion is crucial for applications like biosensors, drug testing, and tissue engineering.
- Existing cell patterning techniques often rely on photolithography and are restricted to planar surfaces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a simple, rapid, and reproducible precision spraying (PS) method for cellular micropatterning.
- To demonstrate the capability of PS for both positive and negative patterning on planar and curved surfaces.
Main Methods:
- A polymer solution is aerosolized and focused using sheath airflow, then deposited via a deposition head to create features around 25 micrometers.
- Positive patterning involved spraying adhesive molecules (laminin, PEI) onto PDMS substrates.
- Negative patterning involved spraying hydrophobic materials (PTFE, PDMS) onto glass substrates.
Main Results:
- Cells adhered to sprayed adhesive regions and avoided bare PDMS in positive patterning.
- Cells patterned on exposed glass regions, avoiding hydrophobic sprayed areas in negative patterning.
- Cellular patterns remained stable for up to 2 weeks, even with serum present.
- PS successfully enabled micropatterning on complex-curved surfaces.
Conclusions:
- Precision spraying provides a flexible and rapid two-step method for cellular micropatterning.
- This technique overcomes limitations of existing methods, expanding possibilities for biological research and technological applications.
