Robust and flexible fabrication of chemical micropatterns for tumor spheroid preparation

Tianqing Liu, Chih-Tsung Yang, Lorena Dieguez, John A. Denman, Benjamin Thierry

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A robust and flexible approach is described for the straightforward preparation of multicellular tumor spheroids of controllable dimensions. The approach is based on a one-step plasma polymerization of the monomer allylamine carried out through conformal micropatterning physical masks that is used to deposit amine-rich (PolyAA) micrometer-scale features that promote cellular attachment and initiate the formation of multicellular spheroids. A simple backfilling step of the nonpolymerized poly- (dimethylsiloxane) background with Pluronic F127 significantly reduced background cellular adhesion on the untreated substrate and, in turn, improved the quality of the spheroid formed. Tumor cells grown on the PolyAA/F127 patterned surfaces reliably formed multicellular spheroids within 24−48 h depending on the cell type. The dimension of the spheroids could be readily controlled by the dimension of the amine-rich micropatterns. This simple approach is compatible with the long-term culture of multicellular spheroids and their characterization with high-resolution optical microscopy. These features facilitate the development of on-chip assays, as demonstrated here for the study of the binding of transferrin-functionalized gold nanoparticles to multicellular tumor spheroids.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)10162-10171
Number of pages10
JournalACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Volume6
Issue number13
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

Keywords

  • cancer cells
  • gold
  • nanoparticles
  • plasma polymerization
  • tumors

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Robust and flexible fabrication of chemical micropatterns for tumor spheroid preparation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this