Self-Patterning Silk Films for Cellular Coculture

Silk produced from Bombyx mori as a natural polymer has gained tremendous attraction for biomedical applications. Tissue engineering applications require meticulous spatial control over cellular adhesion, which is conventionally acquired via lithographic techniques. Here, we report formation of structures using nanogels that are readily cross-linked in the presence of photoactive groups that form stable, biocompatible patterned system for cellular growth. This direct approach has the proficiency to commission structures with reduced processing steps for obtaining biocompatible surface favoring stem cell adhesion, differentiation, and subsequent coculture with an additional cell type in a spatially controlled manner.