Contributions of the integrin β1 tail to cell adhesive forces.

Integrin receptors connect the extracellular matrix to the cell cytoskeleton to provide essential forces and signals. To examine the contributions of the β1 integrin cytoplasmic tail to adhesive forces, we generated cell lines expressing wild-type and tail mutant β1 integrins in β1-null fibroblasts. Deletion of β1 significantly reduced cell spreading, focal adhesion assembly, and adhesive forces, and expression of human β1 (hβ1) integrin in these cells restored adhesive functions.

Gradient biomaterials for soft-to-hard interface tissue engineering.

Interface tissue engineering (ITE) is a rapidly developing field that aims to fabricate biological tissue alternates with the goal of repairing or regenerating the functions of diseased or damaged zones at the interface of different tissue types (also called "interface tissues"). Notable examples of the interface tissues in the human body include ligament-to-bone, tendon-to-bone and cartilage-to-bone. Engineering interface tissues is a complex process, which requires a combination of specialized biomaterials with spatially organized material composition, cell types and signaling molecules.

Portable microcontact printing device for cell culture.

In this work, we developed a portable device to perform microcontact printing in a safety cabinet for cell culture. The device was designed to be small and non-bulky, easy to sterilize, while not requiring the use of electricity, and which requires very little manual handling. Moreover, the portable microcontact printer is reproducibly fabricated with a rapid prototyping system, and allows for the easy micropatterning of biomolecules with a resolution ranging from 20 to 500 μm.

Fabrication of transferable micropatterned-co-cultured cell sheets with microcontact printing.

The purpose of the present study is to develop a novel method for the fabrication of transferable micropatterned cell sheets for tissue engineering. To achieve this development, microcontact printing of fibronectin on commercially available temperature-responsive dishes was employed. Primary rat hepatocytes were seeded on the dish surfaces printed with fibronectin.

Cell sheet technology and cell patterning for biofabrication.

We have developed cell sheet technology as a modern method for the fabrication of functional tissue-like and organ-like structures. This technology allows for a sheet of interconnected cells and cells in full contact with their natural extracellular environment to be obtained. A cell sheet can be patterned and composed according to more than one cell type.