title: Patterned cell culture inside microfluidic devices.
abstract: This paper describes a simple plasma-based dry etching method that enables patterned cell culture inside microfluidic devices by allowing patterning, fluidic bonding and sterilization steps to be carried out in a single step. This plasma-based dry etching method was used to pattern cell-adhesive and non-adhesive areas on the glass and polystyrene substrates. The patterned substrate was used for selective attachment and growth of human umbilical vein endothelial cells, MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells, NIH 3T3 mouse fibroblasts, and primary rat cortical neurons. Finally, we have successfully combined the dry-patterned substrate with a microfluidic device. Patterned primary rat neurons were maintained for up to 6 days inside the microfluidic devices and the neurons' somas and processes were confined to the cell-adhesive region. The method developed in this work offers a convenient way of micropatterning biomaterials for selective attachment of cells on the substrates, and enables culturing of patterned cells inside microfluidic devices for a number of biological research applications where cells need to be exposed to well-controlled fluidic microenvironment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California at Irvine, 204 Rockwell Engineering Center, Irvine, CA 92697-2715, USA.
authors.forename: Seog Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Rhee
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Christina H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Cribbs
authors.forename: Carl W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Cotman
authors.forename: Noo Li
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Jeon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004867:Equipment Design; D005898:Glass; D006801:Humans; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D011137:Polystyrenes / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D011137:Polystyrenes