TY - GEN
T1 - Cells on arrays of microsprings
T2 - IEEE 26th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2013
AU - Sochol, Ryan D.
AU - Heo, Yun Jung
AU - Iwanaga, Shintaroh
AU - Lei, Jonathan
AU - Wolf, Ki Tae
AU - Lu, Albert
AU - Kurihara, Makoto
AU - Mori, Saori
AU - Serien, Daniela
AU - Li, Song
AU - Lin, Liwei
AU - Takeuchi, Shoji
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2013 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Microenvironmental biophysical stimuli influence diverse cellular functions, such as directional motility and stem cell differentiation. Previously, researchers have tuned the linear stiffness of microposts to investigate cell mechanobiological processes and direct cellular behavior; however, microposts suffer from an inherent, yet critical drawback - regulation of micropost stiffness is fundamentally limited to "biaxial" control. To overcome this issue, here we utilize three-dimensional (3D) direct-write laser lithography processes to fabricate arrays of microscale springs (μSprings). By adjusting the geometric characteristics of individual μSprings, the x-, y-, and z-axis stiffness of the cellular substrate can be customized at the microscale. COMSOL simulations were performed to characterize the theoretical "triaxial" stiffness associated with a variety of μSpring designs. Endothelial cells seeded on μSpring arrays were found to successfully deform the μSprings via cell-generated forces. By enabling user-control over the triaxial stiffness of discrete, microscale substrate features, the presented μSpring methodology could offer a powerful platform for cellular studies and applications in fields including tissue engineering, biomaterials, and regenerative medicine.
AB - Microenvironmental biophysical stimuli influence diverse cellular functions, such as directional motility and stem cell differentiation. Previously, researchers have tuned the linear stiffness of microposts to investigate cell mechanobiological processes and direct cellular behavior; however, microposts suffer from an inherent, yet critical drawback - regulation of micropost stiffness is fundamentally limited to "biaxial" control. To overcome this issue, here we utilize three-dimensional (3D) direct-write laser lithography processes to fabricate arrays of microscale springs (μSprings). By adjusting the geometric characteristics of individual μSprings, the x-, y-, and z-axis stiffness of the cellular substrate can be customized at the microscale. COMSOL simulations were performed to characterize the theoretical "triaxial" stiffness associated with a variety of μSpring designs. Endothelial cells seeded on μSpring arrays were found to successfully deform the μSprings via cell-generated forces. By enabling user-control over the triaxial stiffness of discrete, microscale substrate features, the presented μSpring methodology could offer a powerful platform for cellular studies and applications in fields including tissue engineering, biomaterials, and regenerative medicine.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84875461834&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/MEMSYS.2013.6474184
DO - 10.1109/MEMSYS.2013.6474184
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84875461834
SN - 9781467356558
T3 - Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS)
SP - 90
EP - 93
BT - IEEE 26th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MEMS 2013
Y2 - 20 January 2013 through 24 January 2013
ER -