Patterning Biological Cells Using Microfabrication Technology

该项目将采用在以前的EPSRC熔融技术下开发的技术，并为其专利和商业化做准备。该技术涉及简单的微制造(芯片制造)技术，这种技术在半导体洁净室中很常见，成本也不高。图案是使用标准的微制造和精心选择的材料(聚合物)在硅上创建的。在创造的时候，这些模式在生物上是惰性的。它们可以无限期地存储为空白。随后，空白被浸泡在激活它们的蛋白质混合物中--于是神经细胞在聚合物的图案上优先生长，从而允许以相当精确的方式设计和创建网络。该项目将优化神经元的微制造步骤和生物分子浸渍过程，探索为干细胞和肌肉等其他形式的细胞制作图案的能力，并为利用该技术建立商业案例。应用领域包括：-1)使用设计的细胞图案进行实验室实验2)药物发现和分析3)假体--使用图案有效地重新连接受损组织(1)是一种迫在眉睫的前景。(2)将是这个后续项目的市场评估和业务计划的重点，而(3)是一个相当长期的前景。

The project will take a technology that has been developed under previous EPSRC fuinding and prepare it for patenting and commercialisation.The technique involves simple microfabrication (chip manufacture) technology that is commonplace and inexpensive in the semiconductor cleanroom. Patterns are created on silicon, using standard microfabrication and carefully-chosen materials (polymers). These patterns are, at the time of creation, biologically inert. They can be stored as blanks indefinitely.Subsequently, the blanks are dipped in a protein mixture that activates them - whereupon neural cells grow preferentially on the patterns of polymer, allowing networks to be designed and createwd with considerable accuracy.This project will optimise the microfabrication steps and bioligical dipping process for neurones, explore the ability to pattern other forms of cell such as stem cells and muscles and build a business case for exploiting the technology.Application areas include:-1) Laboratory expermintation using designed patterns of cells2) Drug discovery and assay3) Prosthetics - using patterns to effectively re-wire damaged tissue(1) is an immediate prospect. (2) will be the focus of a market evaluation and business plan during this follow-on project, while (3) is a considerably longer-term prospect.