Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Light
Photolithography
a
Chemical
immobilization
Glass
A
B
C
Deposit
photoresist
on glass
wafer
Development
of
photoresist
Deposit
AS + G + protein
Collagen
Removal
of
photoresist
D
Hepatocytes
G
F
E
Seed
cell B
+ serum
Removed
unattached
cell A
Sterilization
and seed
cell A
+ Fibroblasts
+ Albumin
b
c
Hepatocytes
Hepatocytes
+Fibroblasts
100 µm
d
e
FIGURE 2.33
Microfabricated.cocultures..(From.S..N..Bhatia,.U..J..Balis,.M..L..Yarmush,.and.M..
Toner,.“Probing.heterotypic.cell.interactions:.Hepatocyte.function.in.microfabricated.co-cultures,”.
J. Biomater. Sci. Polym. Ed.
.9,.1137,.1998..Reprinted.with.permission.of.John.Wiley.and.Sons..
Figure.contributed.by.Sangeeta.Bhatia.)
WHY MICROFABRICATED COCULTURES?
Cocultures are usually created
by mixing two cell types at random at a cer-
tain cell-cell ratio and have been used extensively as an in vitro system to recreate the cell-
cell interactions between diferent cell types (“heterotypic interactions”) as found in vivo.
However, because of the random nature of the seeding process, many diferent interactions
occur which confound data analysis and which do not necessarily correspond to the inter-
actions so exquisitely structured in vivo. Microfabricated cocultures, as compared with
traditional random cocultures, represent the next step in the attempt to simulate in vivo
interactions by allowing the researcher to specify cell density and the total length of contact
(or “heterotypic interface”) between the two cell populations independently of cell-cell ratio.
