Freely suspended cellular "backpacks" lead to cell aggregate self-assembly.
Cellular "backpacks" are a new type of anisotropic, nanoscale thickness microparticle that may be attached to the surface of living cells creating a "bio-hybrid" material. Previous work has shown that these backpacks do not impair cell viability or native functions such as migration in a B and T cell line, respectively. In the current work, we show that backpacks, when added to a cell suspension, assemble cells into aggregates of reproducible size. We investigate the efficiency of backpack-cell binding using flow cytometry and laser diffraction, examine the influence of backpack diameter on aggregate size, and show that even when cell-backpack complexes are forced through small pores, backpacks are not removed from the surfaces of cells.
Swiston
Albert J
AJ
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Gilbert
Jonathan B
JB
Irvine
Darrell J
DJ
Cohen
Robert E
RE
Rubner
Michael F
MF
D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size
D046911:Macromolecular Substances