| Pacific Rim Symposium on Surfaces, Coatings and Interfaces (PacSurf 2014) | |
| Biomaterial Interfaces | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session BI-TuM |
| Session: | Biomaterial & Wet Interface Characterization |
| Presenter: | Jaroslaw(Jarek) Majewski, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Authors: | P. Majewski, Los Alamos National Laboratory S. Junghans, Los Alamos National Laboratory L. Pocivavsek, University of Pittsburgh N. Zebda, University of Chicago G. Birukov, University of Chicago |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Neutron reflectivity is very well established experimental tool for obtaining length-scale and density information about well-ordered, layered materials of consistent thickness and high surface occupancy, such as model phospholipid bi- and mono-layers, polymeric thin films, inorganic layered structures, etc. It is much more difficult to obtain any information about poorly stratified samples and samples that incompletely cover the surface. Measuring living cells adhesion and response to external stimuli like the fluid (blood) flow provided an interesting challenge because of the complexity, disordered nature, inherent inhomogeneity of the system, a difficulty in controlling and producing samples with consistent surface coverage but also biological safety requirements. Despite these challenges, meaningful results can be obtained. I will discuss measurements involving adhesion of human endothelial cells under fluid mechanical shear stress [1]. Understanding of the cell adhesion in dynamic conditions is connected with pathologic buildup of lipids in arterial walls: atherosclerosis . Although atherosclerosis is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year from heart attacks and strokes its nature is not fully understood.
[1] L. Pocivavsek, A. Junghans, N. Zebda, K. Birukov, J. Majewski, Am. J. of Physiology, vol. 306, iss.: 1, L1-L9, 2014.