BioMEMS

Miniaturization using microtechnology tools offers key advantages over current approaches to interrogate cells but also introduces new challenges. The advantages parallel those seen in the semiconductor revolution (faster, cheaper, parallelism, advantageous microscale phenomena); however the challenges arise primarily from the difficulty associated with biological constraints: (1) integrating mammalian cells with synthetic platforms and maintaining viability (2) innocuous manipulation of cells and (3) maintaining cellular phenotypes to mimic in vivo behavior. Towards this end, we have developed new strategies for controlling the phenotype of immobilized cells and characterized several new methods to rapidly array living cells. Specifically, our laboratory has explored the use of electromagnetic fields (electrophoresis (DC) or dielectrophoresis (AC)), miniaturized optical tweezers , photochemistry , robotic spotting , and microfabricated wells - all to array living cells for parallel observation. We have extensively characterized the ‘biocompatibility' of this suite of techniques and have found that careful engineering design can serve to minimize exposure to harmful physical and chemical stimuli. In addition, a major emphasis in our technology development has been the seamless integration with conventional biomedical tools (inverted microscopes, aseptic technique, etc) with the goal of developing tools that can be easily disseminated to the biomedical community. We are particularly interested in leveraging this suite of microtechnology tools to dissect the components of the stem cell niche that serve to regulate stem cell fate and function.