Direct Fabrication of Glycoengineered Cells via Photoresponsive Thiol–ene Reaction

Three-dimensional printing of cell constructs with high-cell density, shape fidelity, and heterogeneous cell populations is an important tool for investigating cell sociology in living tissues but remains challenging. Herein, we propose an artificial intercellular adhesion method using a photoresponsive chemical cue between a thiol-bearing polymer and a methacrylate-bearing cell membrane. This process provided cell fabrication containing 108 cells/mL, embedded multiple cell populations in one structure, and enabled millimeter-sized scaleup. Our approach allows for the artificial cell construction of complex structures and is a promising bioprinting strategy for engineering tissues that are structurally and physiologically relevant

Label-Free Separation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells with Anti-SSEA‑1 Antibody Immobilized Microfluidic Channel

When induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are routinely cultured, the obtained cells are a heterogeneous mixture, including feeder cells and partially differentiated cells. Therefore, a purification process is required to use them in a clinical stage. We described a label-free separation of iPSCs using a microfluidic channel. Antibodies against stage-specific embryonic antigen 1 (SSEA-1) was covalently immobilized on the channel coated with a phospholipid polymer. After injection of the heterogeneous cell suspension containing iPSCs, the velocity of cell movement under a liquid flow condition was measured. The mean velocity of the cell movement was 2.1 mm/sec in the unmodified channel, while that in the channel with the immobilized-antibody was 0.4 mm/sec. The eluted cells were fractionated by eluting time. As a result, the SSEA-1 positive iPSCs were mainly contained in later fractions, and the proportion of iPSCs was increased from 43% to 82% as a comparison with the initial cell suspension. These results indicated that iPSCs were selectively separated by the microfluidic channel. This channel is a promising device for label-free separation of iPSCs based on their pluripotent state