Nanogroove-Induced Enhancement of Neural Spike Activity in Stem Cell-Derived Networks

Nanogrooves provide instructive cues to cells in culture. Several nanofabrication techniques have been developed to create biomimetic substrates, advancing our understanding of cell adhesion. Their integration into nervous system models highlights the critical role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in developing functional tissue constructs for in vitro platforms such as Brain-on-Chip (BoC) and Nervous System-on-Chip (NoC). This study presents a nanofabrication approach that integrates photolithography and microtransfer molding (μTM) to pattern nanogrooves using photocurable polymer NOA81 onto microelectrode array (MEA) plates. The resulting nanogrooves exhibited a pattern periodicity of 976 nm and a ridge width of 232 nm, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. We assessed the biocompatibility and functional impact of these modified substrates using human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neuronal cultures. Neurons cultured on nanogroove-modified MEAs exhibited aligned neural processes due to the anisotropic surface features and expressed vivid spiking behavior and higher burst frequency compared to randomly cultured neuronal networks. In conclusion, the proposed fabrication technique integrates nanogrooves with commercial MEAs using a combination of microtransfer molding and photolithography, resulting in modified culture substrates that enhance spike activity and network organization, aiding in the development of more in vivo-like neural models.