title: Metallic foil-assisted laser cell printing.
abstract: Laser direct-write technology such as modified laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) is emerging as a revolutionary technology for biological construct fabrication. While many modified LIFT-based cell direct writing successes have been achieved, possible process-induced cell injury and death is still a big hurdle for modified LIFT-based cell direct writing to be a viable technology. The objective of this study is to propose metallic foil-assisted LIFT using a four-layer structure to achieve better droplet size control and increase cell viability in direct writing of human colon cancer cells (HT-29). The proposed four layers include a quartz disk, a sacrificial and adhesive layer, a metallic foil, and a cell suspension layer. The bubble formation-induced stress wave is responsible for droplet formation. It is found that the proposed metallic foil-assisted LIFT approach is an effective cell direct-write technology and provides better printing resolution and high post-transfer cell viability when compared with other conventional modified LIFT technologies such as matrix-assisted pulsed-laser evaporation direct-write; at the same time, the possible contamination from the laser energy absorbing material is minimized using a metallic foil.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA.
authors.forename: Yafu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Douglas B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Chrisey
mesh_terms: D002452:Cell Count; D002470:Cell Survival; D019073:HT29 Cells; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008670:Metals; D011327:Printing / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D008670:Metals