2004 Volume No 8 - pages 21-26
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Title: Making structures for cell engineering |
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Authors: C. D. W. Wilkinson |
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Address: Nanoelectronics Research Centre and Centre
for Cell Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12
8QQ, U.K. |
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E-mail: c.wilkinson at elec.gla.ac.uk |
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Key Words: Adam Curtis, Glasgow, cell engineering,
electron beam lithography, neurons. |
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Publication date: October 22nd 2004 |
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Abstract: This is a mainly historical account of
the events, methods and artifacts arising from my collaboration
with Adam Curtis over the past twenty years to make exercise
grounds for biological cells. Initially the structures were
made in fused silica by photo-lithography and dry etching.
The need to make micron-sized features in biodegradable polymers,
led to the development of embossing techniques. Some cells
response to grooves only a few tens of nanometers deep –
this led to a desire to find the response of cells to features
of nanometric size overall. Regular arrays of such features
were made using electron beam lithography for definition of
the pattern. Improvements were made in the lithographic techniques
to allow arrays to be defined over areas bigger than 1 cm2.
Structures with microelectrodes arranged inside guiding grooves
to allow the formation of sparse predetermined networks of
neurons were made. It is concluded that the creation of pattern,
as in vivo, in assemblies of regrown cells in scaffolds may
well be necessary in advanced cell engineering applications. |
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Article download: Pages
21-26. (PDF file) |
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