Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University,2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Mar 20;109(12):4377-82. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1201086109. Epub 2012 Mar 5.
We report the development of a powerful analytical method that utilizes a tilted elastomeric pyramidal pen array in the context of a scanning probe lithography experiment to rapidly prepare libraries having as many as 25 million features over large areas with a range of feature sizes from the nano- to microscale. This technique can be used to probe important chemical and biological processes, opening up the field of nanocombinatorics. In a proof-of-concept investigation of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation, combinatorial patterns first enabled a rapid and systematic screening of MSC adhesion, as a function of feature size, while uniform patterns were used to study differentiation with statistically significant sample sizes. Without media containing osteogenic-inducing chemical cues, cells cultured on nanopatterned fibronectin substrates direct MSC differentiation towards osteogenic fates when compared to nonpatterned fibronectin substrates. This powerful and versatile approach enables studies of many systems spanning biology, chemistry, and engineering areas.
我们开发了一种强大的分析方法，该方法在扫描探针光刻实验中利用倾斜的弹性金字塔笔阵列，可快速制备具有多达 2500 万个特征的文库，特征尺寸范围从纳米到微米级。这项技术可用于探测重要的化学和生物学过程，开辟了纳米组合学领域。在对间充质干细胞（MSC）分化的概念验证研究中，组合图案首先能够快速系统地筛选 MSC 黏附，作为特征尺寸的函数，而均匀图案则用于研究具有统计学显着样本量的分化。与非图案化纤连蛋白底物相比，在不含成骨诱导化学信号的培养基中，培养在纳米图案化纤连蛋白底物上的细胞会促使 MSC 向成骨命运分化。这种强大且多功能的方法可以用于研究生物学、化学和工程领域的许多系统。
