Micropatterned surfaces for controlling cell adhesion and rolling under flow

Cell adhesion and rolling on the vascular wall is critical to both inflammation and thrombosis. In this study we demonstrate the feasibility of using microfluidic patterning for controlling cell adhesion and rolling under physiological flow conditions. By controlling the width of the lines (50–1000 μm) and the spacing between them (50–100 μm) we were able to fabricate surfaces with well-defined patterns of adhesion molecules. We demonstrate the versatility of this technique by patterning surfaces with 3 different adhesion molecules (P-selectin, E-selectin, and von Willebrand Factor) and controlling the adhesion and rolling of three different cell types (neutrophils, Chinese Hamster Ovary cells, and platelets). By varying the concentration of the incubating solution we could control the surface ligand density and hence the cell rolling velocity. Finally by patterning surfaces with both P-selectin and von Willebrand Factor we could control the rolling of both leukocytes and platelets simultaneously. The technique described in this paper provides and effective and inexpensive way to fabricate patterned surfaces for use in cell rolling assays under physiologic flow conditions.