AVS 57th International Symposium & Exhibition
    Biomaterial Interfaces Tuesday Sessions
       Session BI-TuM

Paper BI-TuM1
Co-Culturing of Osteocytes and Neurons on a Unique Micropatterned Surface: Bone Pain in Cancer

Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 8:00 am, Room Taos

Session: Cells on Surfaces
Presenter: T.P. Beebe, University of Delaware
Authors: M.E. Boggs, University of Delaware
W. Thompson, University of Delaware
M.C. Farach-Carson, Rice University
R.L. Duncan, University of Delaware
T.P. Beebe, University of Delaware
Correspondent: Click to Email
Bone pain is a debilitating problem for patients with bone cancer. Bone pain is the result of communication between the neural and skeletal systems of the body, and yet the mechanisms of communication or signal transduction between cells and tissues comprising these bodily systems is poorly understood. We have developed and are now using a unique micropatterned substrate as a platform consisting of two different proteins to investigate the mechanisms of cell-cell communication between co-cultured osteocyte-like cells and neurons. We have found that an optimal matrix for neurons is laminin type-1, while an optimal matrix for osteocytes is the perlecan domain-IV peptide. The use of micropatterned lanes 40-micron-wide by 1-cm long consisting of alternating laminin type-1 and perlecan domain-IV peptide creates a unique environment in which several osteocyte-neuron meeting events can be observed and probed under controlled conditions. This presentation will build upon our prior work with neuronal cell culture substrates, starting from how they are made, characterized, and then used in experiments to study cell-cell interactions for different cell types.