Patterned Hydrogel Substrates for Cell Culture with Electrohydrodynamic Jet Printing

Cells respond to and are directed by physiochemical cues in their microenvironment, including geometry and substrate stiffness. The development of substrates for cell culture with precisely controlled physiochemical characteristics has the potential to advance the understanding of cell biology considerably. In this communication, E-jet printing is introduced as a method for creating high-resolution protein patterns on substrates with controlled elasticity. It is the first application of E-jet printing on a soft surface. Protein spots as small as 5μm in diameter on polyacrylamide are demonstrated. The patterned hydrogels are shown to support cell attachment and spreading. Polyacrylamide substrates patterned by E-jet printing may be applied to further the study of cellular mechanobiology. Electrohydrodynamic jet (E-jet) printing is used to print proteins on soft, polyacrylamide substrates with micrometer-scale resolution. Immunofluorescence confirms the presence of patterned cell adhesion proteins, and the patterned hydrogels are shown to support cell attachment and spreading. The method can be used to create cell substrates with well-defined protein geometries and elastic properties.