Protein functionalized micro hydrogel features for cell–surface interaction

Functionalizable hydrogel microparticles of tunable size and stiffness for soft-tissue filler applications

Particle size, stiffness and surface functionality are important in determining the injection site, safety and efficacy of injectable soft-tissue fillers. Methods to produce soft injectable biomaterials with controlled particle characteristics are therefore desirable. Here we report a method based on suspension photopolymerization and semi-interpenetrating network (semi-IPN) to synthesize soft, functionalizable, spherical hydrogel microparticles (MP) of independently tunable size and stiffness. MP were prepared using acrylated forms of polyethylene glycol (PEG), gelatin and hyaluronic acid. Semi-IPN MP of PEG-diacrylate and PEG were used to study the effect of process parameters on particle characteristics. The process parameters were systematically varied to produce MP with size ranging from 115 to 515μm and stiffness ranging from 190 to 1600Pa. In vitro studies showed that the MP thus prepared were cytocompatible. The ratio and identity of the polymers used to make the semi-IPN MP were varied to control their stiffness and to introduce amine groups for potential functionalization. Slow-release polymeric particles loaded with Rhodamine or dexamethasone were incorporated in the MP as a proof-of-principle of drug incorporation and release from the MP. This work has implications in preparing injectable biomaterials of natural or synthetic polymers for applications as soft-tissue fillers.

Defined 2-D microtissues on soft elastomeric silicone rubber using lift-off epoxy-membranes for biomechanical analyses

Surface patterning with complex molecules has become a valuable tool in cell biology and biotechnology, as it enables one to control cell shape and function in culture. However, this technique for micro-contact printing is normally performed on rigid substrates, e.g. Petri dishes or glass. Despite the fact that these substrates can easily be patterned they are artificially stiff environments for cells affecting their morphology and function. Those artifacts can be avoided on tissue elasticity resembling substrates, leading to a nature like cell morphology and behavior. However, reproducible patterning of very soft elastomeric substrates is challenging. Here, we describe a simple and highly accurate method through cavities of lift-off membranes for protein patterning of silicone rubber substrates in an elasticity range down to 1.5 kPa without altering their mechanical properties. Membranes are made of epoxy resin with feature sizes that can be chosen almost arbitrarily including widths down to 5 μm and aspect ratios of 100 and more. Different feature shapes were used to actively manipulate cell adhesion, cell morphology and the actin cytoskeleton on soft substrates. Manipulation of cytoskeletal organization furthermore allowed the comparison of myofibril alignment and cellular forces of cardiac myocytes. These data could show that cell forces are largely unaffected upon active disordering of overall myofibril alignment on a single cell level while aligned multicellular systems generate cell forces in an additive manner.

Fabrication of microfluidic system for the assessment of cell migration on 3D micropatterned substrates

Cell migration and proliferation are major process in wound healing, cancer metastasis and organogenesis during development. Many cells are related to recovery process of wound. Especially, fibroblasts act an important role in wound healing. Various cytokines such as platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) can induce fibroblast migration and widely studied to investigate the cell response under controlled cytokine microenvironments during wound healing. In real tissue healing process, cell microenvironments change with tissue types and anatomical characteristics of organs. With microfluidic system, we tried to mimic the natural microenvironment of wound healing, with gradient of PDGF, a fibroblast migration inducing cytokine, and patterned substrate with different orientation to PDGF gradient. Fibroblasts cultured in PDGF gradient micro fluidic chip showed cell migration under various micro environmental gradient conditions. Cells were cultured under PDGF gradient condition and different substrate pattern. Mouse fibroblast L929 cells were cultured in the microfluidic gradient. The results showed that most cells migrated along the substrate topological patterns under high concentration of PDGF. We developed long range sustaining micro fluidic channel and could analyze cell migration along the gradient of PDGF. Also, the cell migration on patterned extracellular environment shows that cells migrate along the extracellular 3D pattern rather than directly along the cytokine gradient when the pattern height is less than 1 microm. In this study, we could demonstrate that the extracellular pattern is more dominant to cell migration in combination with cytokine gradient in the wounded tissue when the environmental cues are 20 microm.

Degassing-assisted patterning of cell culture surfaces

We developed an alternative patterning technique which is capable of producing both topographic and biochemical features for cell culture studies. This technique is based on microaspiration induced with a degassed poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) mold. After degassing in a rough vacuum chamber and placed on a sample surface, liquid solution can be aspired through channels and cavities created in the PDMS mold. Depending on the composition of the solution and the associated drying or incubation processes, a variety of surface patterns can be produced without applying external pressure. For demonstration, we fabricated agarose gel microwells and biomolecule patterns either on a glass plate or in a cell culture Petri dish, both applicable for cell culture studies.

Stem cell differentiation by functionalized micro- and nanostructured surfaces

New fabrication technologies and, in particular, new nanotechnologies have provided biomaterial and biomedical scientists with enormous possibilities when designing customized supports and scaffolds with controlled nanoscale topography and chemistry. The main issue now is how to effectively design these components and choose the appropriate combination of structure and chemistry to tailor towards applications as challenging and complex as stem cell differentiation. Occasionally, an incomplete knowledge of the fundamentals of biological differentiation processes has hampered this issue. However, the recent technological advances in creating controlled cellular microenvironments can be seen as a powerful tool for furthering fundamental biology studies. This article reviews the main strategies followed to achieve solutions to this challenge, particularly emphasizing the working hypothesis followed by the authors to elucidate the mechanisms behind the observed effects of structured surfaces on cell behavior.