Selective hydrophilic modification of Parylene C films: A new approach to cell micro-patterning for synthetic biology applications

T. Trantidou, C. Rao, H. Barrett, P. Camelliti, K. Pinto, M. H. Yacoub, T. Athanasiou, C. Toumazou, C. M. Terracciano, T. Prodromakis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

We demonstrate a simple, accurate and versatile method to manipulate Parylene C, a material widely known for its high biocompatibility, and transform it to a substrate that can effectively control the cellular microenvironment and consequently affect the morphology and function of the cells in vitro. The Parylene C scaffolds are fabricated by selectively increasing the material's surface water affinity through lithography and oxygen plasma treatment, providing free bonds for attachment of hydrophilic biomolecules. The micro-engineered constructs were tested as culture scaffolds for rat ventricular fibroblasts and neonatal myocytes (NRVM), toward modeling the unique anisotropic architecture of native cardiac tissue. The scaffolds induced the patterning of extracellular matrix compounds and therefore of the cells, which demonstrated substantial alignment compared to typical unstructured cultures. Ca2+ cycling properties of the NRVM measured at rates of stimulation 0.5-2 Hz were significantly modified with a shorter time to peak and time to 90% decay, and a larger fluorescence amplitude (p < 0.001). The proposed technique is compatible with standard cell culturing protocols and exhibits long-term pattern durability. Moreover, it allows the integration of monitoring modalities into the micro-engineered substrates for a comprehensive interrogation of physiological parameters.

Original languageEnglish
Article number025004
JournalBiofabrication
Volume6
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 21 Mar 2014

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • calcium cycling
  • cardiac tissue engineering
  • hydrophilic
  • hydrophobic
  • Parylene C
  • patterning

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Selective hydrophilic modification of Parylene C films: A new approach to cell micro-patterning for synthetic biology applications'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this