nDEP-driven cell patterning and bottom-up construction of cell aggregates using a new bioelectronic chip.

Creating cell aggregates of controlled size and shape and patterning cells on substrates using a bottom-up approach constitutes important challenges for tissue-engineering applications and studies of cell–cell interactions. In this paper, we report nDEP (negative dielectrophoresis) driven assembly of cells as compact aggregates or onto defined areas using a new bioelectronic chip. This chip is composed of a quadripolar electrode array obtained using coplanar electrodes partially covered with a thin, micropatterned PDMS membrane. This thin PDMS layer was coated with poly-l-lysine and played the role of adhesive substrate for cell patterning. For the formation of detachable cell aggregates, the PDMS was not pretreated and cells were simply immobilized into assemblies maintained by cell–cell adhesion after the electric field removal. Cell viability after exposition to DEP buffer was also assessed, as well as cell spreading activity following DEP-driven assembly.