Figure 20.

Microarray fabrication strategies for 2.5/3D microenvironment investigation. (A) Microarray production. Reprinted with permission from ref (448). Copyright 2015 Nature Publishing Group. (a) Schematic of the microarray production process, (b) human MSC viability after 7 days in culture along with a color-diagram (right) displaying the quantified cell viability per system. (B) Microarray. Reprinted with permission from ref (450). Copyright 2014 Nature Publishing Group. (c) Enzymatically mediated cross-linking scheme represents a specific peptide sequence, (d) biologically relevant factors are used to generate a combinatorial toolbox in a categorized form, (e) schematic of the experimental process: combining the components library with reporter cells (Oct4-GFP mouse ECSs) using robotic mixing and dispensing technology into 1,536 well plates, (f) representative images of automated microscopy, used to determine colony growth in every single well over a 5-day experiment, (g) 3D confocal reconstruction and (h) image segmentation using automated microscopy and computational methods; scale bar = 200 μm. (C) Microfabrication strategy. Reprinted with permission from ref (452). Copyright 2010 Elsevier, Ltd., (i) schematic representation of the fabrication process for mechanically active 3D cell culture arrays, (j) photo of the entire array connected to the solenoid valve, the green dye in the pressurized actuation channels), (k) increasing actuation cavity size across the array enables a range of mechanical conditions to be created simultaneously, (l) cylindrical hydrogel polymerized on a loading post of the active culture array.