Conjugating Micropatches to Living Cells Through Membrane Intercalation
Yu Miao1, Hailing Liu1, Wenhao Cheng1
1Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering, Tallahassee, Florida 32310, United States.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|June 4, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed a novel method to attach disk-shaped microparticles, called micropatches, to living cells using membrane intercalation. This technique enhances cell therapies by creating stable, viable cell-particle complexes applicable to various therapeutic cell types.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Cell Therapy Engineering
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Clinical cell therapies can be improved by conjugating functional particles to cells.
- Disk-shaped microparticles offer unique advantages for cell therapy enhancement.
- Existing conjugation methods lack broad applicability across diverse therapeutic cell types.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the first study conjugating disk-shaped microparticles (micropatches) to living cells via membrane intercalation.
- To develop a novel fabrication technique for creating stable cell-micropatch complexes.
- To demonstrate the applicability of this method to various cell types for enhanced cell therapies.
Main Methods:
- Microfabrication of disk-shaped micropatches.
- Microcontact printing of micropatches onto a gelatin sacrificial layer.
- End-grafting of octadecyl chain and poly(ethylene glycol) molecules to micropatches.
- Formation of cell-micropatch complexes via membrane intercalation.
- Assessment of complex stability, cell viability, proliferation, and differentiation in vitro.
Main Results:
- Successfully conjugated disk-shaped micropatches to mouse neuroblastoma cells using membrane intercalation.
- Developed a novel, integrated fabrication procedure involving microcontact printing, molecule grafting, and a gelatin sacrificial layer.
- Demonstrated that the resulting cell-micropatch complexes were stable in vitro.
- Confirmed that micropatch-bound cells remained viable, proliferative, and differentiable.
- Produced similar complexes with four additional cell types, indicating broad applicability.
Conclusions:
- The membrane intercalation mechanism provides a versatile method for conjugating microparticles to cells.
- The developed fabrication technique is potentially applicable to a wide range of therapeutic cells.
- This approach promises to advance cell therapies by enabling enhancement with disk-shaped microparticles.
