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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2009 Sep 10.
Published in final edited form as: Exp Cell Res. 2008 Jul 9;314(15):2846–2854. doi: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2008.06.023

Fig. 1. Schematic of process used to pattern cells. Each stage in the process is illustrated in top and side views.

Fig. 1

(A) Flow chamber used to position cells using dielectrophoresis. The Plexiglas lid of the chamber (white) is coated with a thin flat gold electrode (yellow). The floor of the chamber is made by a removable substrate, embedded with gold trapping electrodes (yellow) and covered with agarose (orange) wells patterned in registration with the electrodes. The bases of the agarose wells are coated in cell-adhesive fibronectin (green, top view only). Because the gold on the lid and the substrate is thin enough to be transparent, standard microscopy can be used to visualize the inside of the chamber. (B) Cells are introduced to the chamber by fluid flow, and one cell is drawn to each electrically active trap. Excess cells are removed from the chamber by fluid flow. (C) Cells adhere and spread on fibronectin-coated regions surrounding traps. The non-adhesive agarose barriers define cell shape and cell-cell contact. After cells have adhered, the substrate can be aseptically removed from the chamber and placed in standard culture conditions. Photomicrographs of the top view are either phase contrast (A,B) or DIC (C). Scale bars are 10 µm.