Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
8
of Cells into Microscale
and Nanoscale Systems
Michael L. Simpson, Timothy E. McKnight,
Michael A. Guillorn, Vladimir I. Merkulov,
Gary S. Sayler, and Anatoli Melechko
In chapter 5 we focused on the informational interface between cells and syn-
thetic components of systems. This interface is concerned with facilitating and
manipulating information transport and processing between and within the syn-
thetic and whole-cell components of these hybrid systems. However, there is
also a structural interface between these components that is concerned with the
physical placement, entrapment, and maintenance of the cells in a manner that
enables the informational interface to operate. In this chapter we focus on this
structural interface.
INTRODUCTION
Successful integration of whole-cell matrices into microscale and nanoscale
elements requires a unique environment that fosters continued cell viability
while promoting, or at least not blocking, the information transport and com-
munication pathways described in earlier chapters. A century of cell culture has
provided a wealth of insight and specific protocols to maintain the viability and
(typically) proliferation of virtually every type of organism that can be prop-
agated. More recently, the demands for more efficient bioreactors, more com-
patible biomedical implants, and the promise of engineered tissues has driven
advances in surface-modification sciences, cellular immobilization, and scaf-
folding that provide structure and control over cell growth, in addition to their
basic metabolic requirements. In turn, hybrid biological and electronic systems
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