AVS 47th International Symposium
    Biomaterial Interfaces Wednesday Sessions
       Session BI-WeP

Paper BI-WeP20
Colloidal Lithographic Methods for Cell Culture Experiments

Wednesday, October 4, 2000, 11:00 am, Room Exhibit Hall C & D

Session: Poster Session
Presenter: A.S. Andersson, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Authors: A.S. Andersson, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
D.S. Sutherland, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
P. Hanarp, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
B. Kasemo, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Correspondent: Click to Email
The interaction of cells with surfaces can be modulated by the surface topography and chemistry on the micrometer and submicron length scale. Relatively recent evidence has shown that topography and chemistry on the nanometre scale can influence the funct ional behaviour of both protein molecules and selected cells. It is likely that the structural properties of a surface from the micron down to the nanometre and molecular scale are able to influence cellular behaviour, either directly or via an adsorbed hydrated protein layer. In order to systematically study the influence of surface properties on cellular behaviour methods to fabricate surfaces with defined and varied chemical and topographic architectures on a range of different length scales are requi red. A prime requirement of fabrication for cell culture experiments is that (by the standards of nanofabrication) extremely large areas of surface can be quickly fabricated. Colloidal lithographic methods have been developed to systematically fabricate nanometer features with defined size, shape and distribution over large areas in a single fabrication process. These methods utilise individual colloidal particles as a mask material for lithographic processing and have been used to create surfaces with a single type of topographic or chemical feature of defined size (available size in the range 10-200nm in all spatial dimensions). In combination with traditional photolithographic methods micrometer sized strips have been patterned with the nanometre-sized features to create surfaces with hierarchical chemical and topographic structures. These surfaces have been used in range of exploratory cell culture experiments.