Pseudo-Three-Dimensional Micropost Array Detector Systems

Abstract

In this project, a novel pseudo-three-dimensional micropost array detector system (mPADs) was fabricated with the intent of understanding its utility for observing and modulating cellular motility in a 3D environment. For over a decade, traditional mPADs have been manufactured from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and used to isolate substrate rigidity as the dependent variable in single cell experiments. This work recounts the design and fabrication process required to construct the final device which consists of an upward-facing bottom mPADs layer, a downward-facing top mPADs layer, and a spacing layer of controlled thickness separating them and allowing cells to migrate on by adhering to the protein-functionalized surfaces of each mPADs simultaneously. Several devices were successfully fabricated and seeded with human umbilical artery smooth muscle cells (HUASMCs), however there were no confirmed events where a cell simultaneously adhered to both the top and bottom mPADs device at the same time.