Cell Culture Substrate Using Oxidation Treatment for Patterned Adhesion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cell culture techniques face challenges in transferring cells grown in adhesion culture to cell sheets, tissues, and organs efficiently, particularly due to the difficulty in forming precise patterns on substrates using photolithographic methods, which require photosensitive materials and can harm cells with developing solutions.
Innovation Solution
A substrate with a base and alternating cell adhesive and inhibitory regions formed by oxidation or decomposition treatments on hydrophilic films containing organic compounds with carbon-oxygen bonds, allowing for high-speed transfer of cells by controlling cell adhesion through varying densities and binding properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If photolithographic method is used to form precise patterns on substrate, then manufacturing precision is improved, but harmful factors to cells increase due to developing solutions and limited material selection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the substrate surface by controlling the density and oxidation state of carboxyl groups. By adjusting the carboxyl group density to specific ranges (0.01-10 μmol/cm² for adhesive regions, 0.001-0.01 μmol/cm² for non-adhesive regions), precise cell adhesion patterns are formed without requiring photolithographic developing solutions, thus avoiding cell damage while achieving high manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a simple plastic plate as the base substrate, which is inexpensive and disposable. The cell adhesion properties are created through surface treatment (plasma or oxidation) rather than permanent material deposition, allowing the substrate to be easily discarded after use without complex cleanup procedures involving harmful chemicals.
2Manufacturing precision
If photolithographic method is used with photoresist, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple solutions and processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex photolithographic process steps (photoresist coating, exposure, development, rinsing) from the substrate preparation process. Instead, it uses a simplified approach where plasma or oxidation treatment directly creates the desired cell adhesion patterns on the substrate surface, reducing the number of process steps and materials required.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the substrate surface into distinct adhesive and non-adhesive regions through localized plasma or oxidation treatment. This segmentation is achieved by controlling the treatment parameters and exposure patterns, creating spatially differentiated cell adhesion properties without requiring complex multi-layer photoresist structures.
3Manufacturing precision
If micro-contact printing method is used to form precise patterns, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity decreases due to difficulty in industrial application
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical micro-contact printing process with a field-based approach using plasma or oxidation fields to modify substrate surface properties. This substitution eliminates the need for physical contact between the patterned stamp and substrate, enabling faster processing and easier industrial scaling while maintaining high pattern formation precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal substrate treatment method that can be applied to various plastic plate materials and cell types through plasma or oxidation treatment. The process parameters (power, time, gas composition) can be adjusted to achieve different pattern complexities, making the method universally applicable across different industrial applications without requiring specialized equipment for each cell type or pattern design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid and efficient transfer of cell sheets, colonies, and networks to target materials like tissues and organs without damaging the cells, reducing the complexity and time required for pattern formation and cell maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
a cell adhesive region formed on a surface of the base, in which the cell adhesive region is formed of a film that is rendered adhesive by applying an oxidation treatment and/or a decomposition treatment to a cell-adhesion inhibitory hydrophilic film containing an organic compound having a carbon-oxygen bond
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide a means capable of transferring a cell sheet, a cell pattern or the like to a desired material at a high speed. The present invention provides a substrate for cell culture comprising a base and a cell adhesive region formed on a surface of the base, wherein the cell adhesive region is formed of a film that is rendered cell adhesive by applying an oxidation treatment and/or a decomposition treatment to a cell-adhesion inhibitory hydrophilic film containing an organic compound having a carbon-oxygen bond.