PFI-TT: Non-enzymatic harvesting of cell cultures

该创新合作伙伴关系 - 技术转化 (PFI-TT) 项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是解决再生医学和治疗细胞市场中未满足的需求。如果成功，拟议的技术将促进生物医学应用的细胞和药物制造。拟议的项目将为功能性软材料工程和初创企业商业化和发展的创业技能领域提供培训机会。拟议项目旨在开发坚固且具有成本效益的带有热响应涂层的细胞培养皿插件，用于无酶分离高质量培养细胞，不会造成酶污染，也不会对细胞及其环境造成损害。该产品将确保提高电池制造的效率和生产率，并为最终用户应用提供高质量的产品。该研究计划旨在通过以下方式解决知识差距和技术障碍：（i）开发一种具有成本效益的可扩展方法来制造微结构热响应薄膜涂层； (ii) 确定粘附和排斥模式的最佳尺寸，以实现不同细胞系的粘附、增殖和无酶收获； (iii) 研究培养和分离的细胞，以评估潜在的细胞损伤，从而优化粘附水平。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to address an unmet need in the regenerative medicine and therapeutic cell market. If successful, the proposed technology will boost cell and drug manufacturing for biomedical applications. The proposed program will provide training opportunities in the areas of engineering of functional soft materials and entrepreneurial skills for the commercialization and development of startups. The proposed project aims at developing robust and cost-efficient cell culture dish inserts with thermos-responsive coatings for enzyme-free detachment of high-quality cultured cells with no enzyme contaminations nor damage to the cells and their environment. The product will secure improved efficiency and productivity of cell manufacturing along with the high quality of the products for end-user applications. The research program is designed to address knowledge gaps and technical barriers through the (i) development of a cost-efficient scalable method for the fabrication of micro-structured thermo-responsive thin-film coatings; (ii) identification of the optimal dimensions of the adhesive and repulsive patterns to enable adhesion, proliferation and enzyme-free harvesting of different cell lines; and (iii) study of the cultured and detached cells to assess potential cell damage for optimization of the adhesion level.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.