title: In situ control of cellular growth and migration on substrates using microelectrodes.
abstract: We describe an electrochemical method to direct the growth and migration of mammalian cells on a substrate during cultivation in situ. Exposing the albumin-coated substrate to an oxidizing agent, hypobromous acid, electrochemically generated at the tip of the scanning microelectrode, locally switched the substrate from cytophobic to cell-adhesive. This transformation generated the formation of cellular micropatterns. Since the concentration of the oxidizing agent required for the surface processing did not cause significant damage to the cell cultures, we were able to direct in situ cellular proliferation and migration by drawing adhesive micropatterns over the preexisting cellular pattern.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering and Robotics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kaji
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsukidate
authors.forename: Tomokazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsue
authors.forename: Matsuhiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishizawa