A simple method for simultaneously patterning different biomolecules on a surface can create complex patterns in a single step. These patterns can direct the adhesion, polarization, and guide neurites in neurons. The technique called vacuum soft lithography was developed by a team led by Sarah Heilshorn, University of California, Berkeley, USA, and could be used in to prepared surfaces for use in tissue engineering or translational medicine the team say.
To create the complex patterns, biomolecules are physically adsorbed onto glass slides using a removable polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic template. The method uses the gas permeability of PDMS to fill circuitous and dead-end microfluidic channels. Upon removal from vacuum, degassed PDMS templates store a negative pressure relative to atmosphere which can be used to pull solutions through closed microfluidic channels. The technique is capable of preparing designs with better than 2 µm resolution.
Interested to know more? Read the full article here: J. Tanner Nevill, Alexander Mo, Branden J. Cord, Theo D. Palmer, Mu-ming Poo, Luke P. Lee and Sarah C. Heilshorn, Soft Matter, 2011, DOI:10.1039/C0SM00869A
