The evaluation of cell-material surface interactions is important for the design of novel biomaterials which are used in a
variety of biomedical applications. While traditional in vitro test methods have routinely used samples of relatively
large size, microarrays representing different biomaterials offer many advantages, including high throughput and
reduced sample handling. Here, we describe the simultaneous cell-based testing of matrices of polymeric biomaterials,
arrayed on glass slides with a low cell-attachment background coating. Arrays were constructed using a microarray robot at 6 fold redundancy with solid pins having a diameter of 375 μm. Printed solutions contained at least one
monomer, an initiator and a bifunctional crosslinker. After subsequent UV polymerisation, the arrays were washed and
characterised by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Cell culture experiments were carried out over 24 hours using HeLa
cells. After labelling with CellTracker® Green for the final hour of incubation and subsequent fixation, the arrays were
scanned. In addition, individual spots were also viewed by fluorescence microscopy. The evaluation of cell-surface
interactions in high-throughput assays as demonstrated here is a key enabling technology for the effective development
of future biomaterials.
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