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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Laser-guidance-based cell deposition microscope for heterotypic single-cell micropatterning

Zhen Ma, Russell K Pirlo, Qin Wan, Julie X Yun, Xiaocong Yuan, Peng Xiang, Thomas K Borg and Bruce Z Gao

Cell patterning methods enable researchers to control specific homotypic and heterotypic contact-mediated cell–cell and cell–ECM interactions and to impose defined cell and tissue geometries. To micropattern individual cells to specific points on a substrate with high spatial resolution, we have developed a cell deposition microscope based on the laser-guidance technique. We discuss the theory of optical forces for generating laser guidance and the optimization of the optical configuration (NA ≈ 0.1) to manipulate cells with high speed in three dimensions. Our cell deposition microscope is capable of patterning different cell types onto and within standard cell research devices and providing on-stage incubation for long-term cell culturing. Using this cell deposition microscope, rat mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow were micropatterned with cardiomyocytes into a substrate microfabricated with polydimethylsiloxane on a 22 mm × 22 mm coverglass to form a single-cell coculturing microenvironment, and their electrophysiological property changes were investigated during the coculturing days.

DOI

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