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The growth and study of living cells outside their native organisms forms the foundation of modern biology and underpins medicine. It has led to the identification of stem cells and the development of methods that can reprogram mature cells into pluripotent states, creating enormous potential for new therapies that can cure previously untreatable conditions and enable the repair of patient-specific tissues and organs. Accessing these advances, however, requires the development of sophisticated new cell culture materials and technologies.
As cell behavior is directed by biochemical signals and local stiffness, our strategy is to enable reagent-free covalent immobilization of biomolecules and hydrogels onto cell-contacting surfaces. Energetic ion implantation into carbon-based surfaces or surface coatings creates buried radicals whose unpaired electrons migrate to the surface and form covalent bonds with proximate molecules. We have developed plasma processes that create these reactive surfaces on any material or structure. For structures created by 3D bioprinting, which is not compatible with low pressures, we have developed a localized atmospheric pressure plasma treatment.
Functional molecules that can be immobilized include, but are not limited to, oligonucleotides, enzymes, peptides, aptamers, cytokines, antibodies, cell-adhesion extracellular matrix molecules, histological dyes, and hydrogels. Controlled application of the functional molecules in solution via droplet dispensing or contact printing enables the immobilization of biomolecular and hydrogel patterns onto the plasma-activated surfaces.
This talk will present our plasma processing tool kit and explain how it enables the creation of bio-instructive and biomimetic surfaces for wide-ranging applications in biomedicine, showing how the processes are adapted and engineered to be deployed on virtually any material and structure, including complex 3D or microporous structures as well as those formed by 3D bioprinting. Our processes are scalable and are currently being translated to industry for the production tunable bespoke biomimetic cell culture microwell plates.
Powered by renewable electricity, such plasma processing technologies, which require minimal amounts of gaseous reactants and generate virtually no waste, can provide sustainable solutions to a wide range of existing and emerging needs in biomedicine and biotechnology.
