Selective channel fabrication by local heating for cell patterning

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a new method to construct microchannels inside cell structures. A local melting of cell embedded hydrogel is employed to make microchannels inside cell structures. Local melting of hydrogel was conducted using the fabricated electrodes. Electrodes were fabricated using photolithography technique on a glass substrate. Electrode designs were prepared ladder-shape. The ladder-shape is used to demonstrate fabrication of arbitrary shapes of channel. The hydrogel block was placed on the electrodes and 100 μm width electrode was used to melt the hydrogel. The hydrogel was prepared at the concentration of 5.6 % gelatin and 1.4 % agar. The results indicate that the proposed method can be used to making vascular-like networks inside cell structures to construct in vitro 3D cell systems.