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| Abstract | The purpose of this study is to culture cells on 3D printed structures known as liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) using templates from microscope scanned tissue specimens. LCEs are composed of a long crosslink of polymers that have a porous property to them that will aid in growth and proliferation of the glial cells once they are seeded into the material. The process by which this is possible is photo curing resin of different types by using multiple formulations of elastomers that contain varying polymerizers. Two main forms of printing are used to accomplish this; an SLA UV curing printer and the use of a custom designed microscope setup. The SLA UV curing printer cures on a layer-by-layer basis at ~30 micron resolution. While the custom designed setup allows for the use of a laser scanning microscope which is capable of providing finer resolution for the LCEs. So far, through the use of the SLA UV curing printer, our lab has been able to print structures of tissue that contain all the characteristics that would make the growth of glial cells a feasible task. The structures were printed using modified materials which contain photo-initiators that enable the material to undergo physical property changes when they react with the UV light from the printer. More specifically, it was a compound by the name of 6arms-alpha (modified), which contains 10% of liquid crystal and has a high viscosity. The importance of this research is to provide a way to study neurons in arrangements that emulate real tissue, which could have a significant impact in the future of bioimplants. |
| Format | Conference Proceeding |
| Contributor(s) | Faculty Mentor Robert Clements |
| Modified Abstract | The purpose of this study is to culture cells on 3D printed structures known as liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) using templates from microscope scanned tissue specimens. LCEs are composed of a long crosslink of polymers that have a porous property to them that will aid in growth and proliferation of the glial cells once they are seeded into the material. The process by which this is possible is photo curing resin of different types by using multiple formulations of elastomers that contain varying polymerizers. Two main forms of printing are used to accomplish this; an SLA UV curing printer and the use of a custom designed microscope setup. So far, through the use of the SLA UV curing printer, our lab has been able to print structures of tissue that contain all the characteristics that would make the growth of glial cells a feasible task. . The importance of this research is to provide a way to study neurons in arrangements that emulate real tissue, which could have a significant impact in the future of bioimplants. |
| Permalink | https://oaks.kent.edu/ugresearch/2020/biomedical-sciences/cell-culturing-3d-printed-lces |
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