IUVSTA 15th International Vacuum Congress (IVC-15), AVS 48th International Symposium (AVS-48), 11th International Conference on Solid Surfaces (ICSS-11)
    Biomaterials Thursday Sessions
       Session BI-ThP

Paper BI-ThP13
Analysis of Cell Organization in a Smooth Muscle Culture Grown On High Aspect Ratio Microstructures

Thursday, November 1, 2001, 5:30 pm, Room 134/135

Session: Biomolecule and Cell Poster Session
Presenter: J.D. Glawe, Louisiana Tech University
Authors: J.D. Glawe, Louisiana Tech University
D.K. Mills, Louisiana Tech University
B.K. Gale, Louisiana Tech University
Correspondent: Click to Email
Tissue engineered organs may someday replace donated organs. The first step towards realizing this goal is to create three dimensional cell cultures that preserve the organization of cellular orientation found in tissue in vivo. One promising method of achieving this goal is to microfabricate scaffolds with microcontainers designed to allow cell growth in only one direction. This is essential for engineering muscle tissue where to remain functional, all cells must contract along the same axis. The tissue culture scaffold was specifically designed to accommodate smooth muscle cells (SMC's). It was molded out of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) from a lithographically patterned SU-8 structure. The structure is coated with protein to promote improved cell adhesion. Two methods of seeding the cells into the scaffold were tested, gravitational and centrifugal seeding. The microcontainers are approximately 500 µm in depth and are either square, octagonal, or plus-shaped, with varying diameters. Measurements were made to determine cell density, orientation, actin concentration, and the percent of living cells at four intervals after cell seeding.