Platforms for cell culture plates and cellular matrices are predominantly fabricated from synthetic polymers. While such materials are ideally inert, mechanically stable, and low cost for this industry, their surface properties have inherent limitations. Specifically, they have inadequate binding sites for cells to anchor effectively to their surfaces. Strong, and uniformly dispersed binding sites are an important prerequisite for the immobilization of cells, and for in vitro cell cultivation. For synthetic polymer platforms to improve cellular attachment, survivability and proliferation, they must be surface modified.
PVA TePla America have applied their expertise in gas plasma technology to solving attachment problems of adherent cells to culture plates. Additionally, specific plasma processes have been developed for the selective immobilization of bio active molecules. This is achieved by providing specific chemical functionality at the surface, allowing coupling of cellular species to occur.
Mold release agents, volatile hydrocarbons and other contaminating species are cleaned from the substrates by the cool, yet energetic environment of the plasma. Oxidizing plasmas are used to add oxygen groups to surface. This increases polarity and renders them hydrophilic (or wettable). Hydrophilic surfaces are attractive to cells and biomolecules, inducing them to adsorb. They also eliminate the possibility of bubble formation in the reservoirs upon dispensation.
Culture media designed to maintain cell suspensions require surfaces with very low affinity for cell attachment. Hydrogel coatings are uncharged, hydrophilic and have excellent adsorption resistance to proteins and cells. These coatings need to be covalently bound to the substrate surface to ensure their stability in aqueous media. Plasma surface treatment can be used either to activate the surface for hydrogel attachment, or to deposit hydrogel-like materials onto the surface using Plasma Enhance Chemical Vapor deposition (PECVD).
