AVS 45th International Symposium
    Biomaterial Interfaces Group Monday Sessions
       Session BI-MoA

Paper BI-MoA9
Directed Neuron Attachment and Growth by Micrometer-Scale Chemical Patterning of Glass Substrates

Monday, November 2, 1998, 4:40 pm, Room 326

Session: Cell Solid-Surface Interactions
Presenter: C.D. James, Cornell University
Authors: C.D. James, Cornell University
R.C. Davis, Cornell University
L. Kam, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
H.G. Craighead, Cornell University
M. Isaacson, Cornell University
J.N. Turner, New York State Department of Health, University of Albany
W. Shain, New York State Department of Health, University of Albany
G. Banker, Oregon Health Sciences University
G. Withers, Oregon Health Sciences University
Correspondent: Click to Email
Directed neuron attachment and growth is a necessary technology for long-term, in vitro studies of synaptically interactive neurons. Research has shown that chemical cues can stimulate cell attachment and neurite outgrowth in neurons when cultured on chemically-modified bioactive surfaces. Specifically, the synthetic polypeptide polylysine has been shown to induce cell attachment, and the basement membrane protein laminin has been used to initiate neuronal process outgrowth as well as cell attachment. In this paper, we attempt to produce a method for using chemical cues to control the organization of neurons into defined networks in order to facilitate long-term studies of synaptic function and inter/intra-neuronal signal processing. We demonstrate a technique for chemically patterning glass substrates with polylysine and laminin using microcontact printing, an emerging tool for micrometer-scale chemical patterning of surfaces. Further, we show that these chemically patterned surfaces are biologically active, and that cell attachment and neurite outgrowth are stimulated in culture.