title: Fluidic microstructuring of alginate hydrogels for the single cell niche.
abstract: Controlling alginate gel formation by diffusion of Ca(2+) ions through a filter barrier, a layer-by-layer deposition technique with resolution on the size scale of a single cell is presented. It offers the possibility of exposing cells under biocompatible conditions to microheterogeneous three-dimensional environments, mimicking the layered structure of extracellular matrix in tissues.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microsystems, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. thomas.braschler@epfl.ch
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Braschler
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valero
authors.forename: Ludovica
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Colella
authors.forename: Kristopher
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pataky
authors.forename: Juergen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brugger
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Renaud
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates / Q000737:chemistry*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D020723:Glucuronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008846:Micromanipulation / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020100:Hydrogels; D020723:Glucuronic Acid