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Easy to Apply Polyoxazoline-Based Coating for Precise and Long-Term Control of Neural Patterns
Serge Weydert1, Stefan Zürcher2, Stefanie Tanner1
1Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, ETH Zurich , Gloriastrasse 35, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|August 10, 2017
Summary
A new antifouling coating, PAcrAm-g-(PMOXA, NH2, Si), effectively prevents unwanted neural connections in long-term cultures. This breakthrough in surface modification offers enhanced reliability and versatility for in vitro neuroscience and cell culture applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Surface modification is crucial for controlled cell patterning in biological research.
- Bottom-up neuroscience aims to understand the brain by engineering in vitro neural circuits.
- Existing antifouling coatings like poly(l-lysine)-g-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLL-g-PEG) have limitations in preventing undesired neuronal connections over time.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a novel copolymer with superior antifouling properties for controlling neural connectivity.
- To assess the reliability, stability, and versatility of the new coating across different surfaces and cell types.
- To provide a robust solution for engineering well-defined neural networks in vitro.
Main Methods:
- A new copolymer, poly(acrylamide)-graft-(poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline), hexaneamine, propyldimethylethoxysilane) (PAcrAm-g-(PMOXA, NH2, Si)), was synthesized.
- The copolymer was grafted to a poly(acrylamide) backbone with hexaneamine and propyldimethylethoxysilane components.
- Performance was compared against PLL-g-PEG using primary neurons and other cell types on various substrates (polystyrene, glass, poly(dimethylsiloxane)).
Main Results:
- PAcrAm-g-(PMOXA, NH2, Si) demonstrated significantly enhanced antifouling properties compared to PLL-g-PEG.
- The new coating reliably prevented unwanted neurite outgrowth and connectivity in long-term cultures of primary neurons.
- The copolymer exhibited versatility, performing effectively on multiple surfaces and with diverse cell types, including C2C12 myoblasts and human fibroblasts.
Conclusions:
- The developed PAcrAm-g-(PMOXA, NH2, Si) coating is the first to reliably prevent undesired connections in arranged neuronal cultures over extended periods.
- This advancement represents a significant milestone for in vitro neuroscience, enabling the engineering of complex neural networks.
- The coating's ease of application and broad compatibility make it a valuable tool for in vitro biology and biomedical engineering.
