Fe⁰-MAP Prepared Glycosurfaces for Selective Cell Capture: From Adherent to Suspended Cells

The specific capture of live cells is crucial for various biomedical applications. Existing methods often are limited by complex production processes. This study introduces Fe⁰-mediated monomer-adaptation polymerization (Fe⁰-MAP), a convenient and rapid synthesis approach for selective cell capture using surface-engineered glycopolymer brushes. This method utilizes surface-initiated zerovalent iron-mediated reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (Fe⁰-SI-RDRP), offering advantages like simplicity, biocompatibility and oxygen-tolerance due to the use of iron sheet as catalysts. We successfully employed Fe⁰-MAP to selective capture both adherent (HeLa, L929) and suspended cells (Ramos, U937) in mammalian cell cultures. Combining excellent biocompatibility, specific and reusable cell capture capabilities, and applicability to suspended cells, Fe⁰-MAP establishes itself as a promising strategy for selective cell capture, holding significant potential for diverse biomedical applications.