Use of Ultrathin Striped Molecular Films on Soft Materials to Direct Cell Adhesion and Growth

Researchers at Purdue University have developed a novel method for directing cell adhesion and growth. This method uses ultrathin striped molecular films on soft materials and improves on the scale limitations imposed by the current lithographic technology, while diversifying chemistries that can be patterned to direct cell growth. Taken together, the features of this technology can be used to design artificial ECM. This technology has been validated using a murine myoblast model; cells adhere and proliferate extensively on the ultrathin striped films, which display patterned chemistries designed to mimic biological ligand clustering. Potential applications of this technology include regenerative medicine, studying ligand clustering and understanding progression of diseases.

Technology Validation: Validated in a murine myoblast model (C2C12 cell line) by growing them on surfaces presenting ligand clusters.

Advantages:

-Functional groups can be organized at nanometer scale

-Mimics in vivo organization of ligand clusters

Potential Applications:

-Regenerative Medicine

-Ligand Clustering

-Understand progression of diseases

TRL: 3

Intellectual Property:

Keywords: Cell adhesion, cell growth, ultrathin striped molecular films, soft materials, patterned chemistries, artificial ECM, regenerative medicine, ligand clustering, disease progression, myoblast model, Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology, Cellular Interactions, Extracellular Matrix