Columnar Holding Surface for Uniform Cell Pattern Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pattern culture techniques struggle to form large-sized cell patterns efficiently, which is essential for applications in life sciences such as drug discovery and regenerative medicine, as they often result in non-uniform patterns due to instability and variability in liquid droplet formation on culture surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A pattern forming device with columnar structure bodies having a holding surface made of materials with specific hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties, capable of resisting sterilization processes, and adjustable distance and position mechanisms to control liquid droplet size and placement on culture surfaces, ensuring uniform cell or cell adhesive patterns are formed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional pattern culture techniques are used to form large-sized cell patterns, then the pattern size can be increased, but the uniformity and stability of the patterns deteriorate due to variability in liquid droplet formation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the surface energy parameters of the holding surface by selecting materials with specific hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties. This parameter change enables the holding surface to stably retain liquid droplets of various sizes without spreading or evaporating uncontrollably, thereby achieving both large pattern size and high uniformity. The contact angle of the holding surface is controlled to be within a specific range to optimize liquid retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs disposable columnar structure bodies with holding surfaces that are optimized for single-use liquid droplet retention. These structures are designed to be discarded after one use, eliminating the need for complex cleaning and sterilization processes while ensuring consistent performance for large-sized pattern formation. The disposable nature guarantees uniformity across multiple experiments.
2Reliability
If materials with specific hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties are used for the holding surface, then liquid droplet retention is improved, but the complexity of material selection and surface treatment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses holding surfaces made of homogeneous materials with uniformly distributed hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties. This homogeneity ensures consistent liquid droplet retention across the entire holding surface area and across multiple columnar structure bodies. The material composition is kept uniform throughout to avoid local variations that could cause droplet formation inconsistencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs composite materials that combine hydrophilic and hydrophobic components in a controlled manner to achieve the desired liquid retention properties. The composite structure allows tuning of the surface energy characteristics while maintaining manufacturing simplicity. The composite material approach enables reliable droplet retention without requiring complex surface treatment processes.
3Reliability
If the holding surface is made of resin or autoclave-resistant material, then sterilization process compatibility is improved, but the range of available materials and their processing options is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention adopts disposable columnar structure bodies made of autoclave-resistant resin materials. The disposable design eliminates the need for repeated sterilization processes, thereby ensuring sterilization compatibility without requiring the materials to withstand multiple autoclaving cycles. This approach maintains material integrity and performance consistency while simplifying the sterilization workflow.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention selects resin materials with specific thermal and chemical resistance parameters that enable them to withstand autoclaving conditions. By carefully choosing materials with appropriate glass transition temperatures and chemical stability, the invention achieves sterilization resistance while retaining sufficient versatility for various processing methods including molding and surface treatment.
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 the formation of large, uniform cell or cell adhesive patterns on culture surfaces, enhancing the efficiency and standardization of cell evaluation systems, particularly in drug discovery and regenerative medicine applications.
Implementation Method 1
The holding surface is made of a material having weakly hydrophilic or hydrophobicity
Implementation Method 2
The holding surface is made of a material having weakly hydrophilic or hydrophobicity
Implementation Method 3
a step of bringing a cell membrane modifier solution into contact with an end surface of a columnar body
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4A~4C
AI summary
The pattern forming device includes at least one columnar structure body having a holding surface for holding a liquid at a tip thereof. The pattern forming method includes forming liquid droplets of a cell suspension or a cell adhesive on the holding surface and making the liquid droplets contact with the culture surface.