Journal: APL Bioengineering

Article Title: A neuronal wiring platform through microridges for rationally engineered neural circuits

doi: 10.1063/5.0025921

Figure Lengend Snippet: Illustration of the fabrication, coating, and cell seeding processes of an SU-8 microridge scaffold. (a) and (b) Fabrication of microfences and connecting lines through one-layer photolithography. (c) Microstructures were covered by an aqueous PLL solution, and a PDMS slab is, then, placed on top. (d) The PDMS slab was lifted off to remove the majority of PLL solution on the hydrophobic silicon nitride surface. (e) Capillary forces retained PLL solution residues in the corners of microridge sidewalls. PLL was selectively deposited onto the sidewalls after water was evaporated. (f) Aplysia californica neurons were manually seeded in the microfences one by one using prepulled glass micropipettes. (g) Guided neurites grown out toward neighboring neurons.

Article Snippet: Mammalian neurons with smaller diameters (around 10 μ m) will be challenging to manually seed with glass micropipettes, though the patterns and dimensions of the scaffold can be easily scaled down to thickness less than 5 μ m. However, with the advances of single cell manipulation technologies (e.g., glass micropipette assisted using a miBot micromanipulator; Imina Technologies SA, Switzerland), this approach holds a great promise for precisely constructing neuronal circuits using mammalian neurons.

Techniques: