From left to right: Volker Nock, Lynn Murray, John Evans, and Maan Alkaisi; and stained (blue) cells growing on a bioimprint surface
Developed at University of Canterbury and University of Otago, Christchurch, bioimprint technology replicates cellular surface features into a polymer mould. The resulting bioimprint can be used to take high resolution images or, more innovatively, to grow cells on a scaffold.
As Ruth Beran finds out, investigators Volker Nock, Lynn Murray, John Evans, and Maan Alkaisi are looking at variation in cell adhesion and the potential impact this surface modification tool may have on biomaterials and biological functioning. The research is currently being funded by a grant from the Marsden Fund, and the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology.
