Speaker
Description
"Conventionally, mammalian cells are cultured on stiff plastic or glass dishes. This is because cells have intrinsic contractility and exert mechanical forces to their substrates. It is critical for the cells to receive sufficient mechanical feedback, therefore stiff materials have been chosen for the cell culturing scaffolds, otherwise the cells undergo apoptosis, cellular suicide. On the other hand, our group is developing a new cell culture modality, where the interface of water and hydrophobic liquids, such as perfluorocarbons and ionic liquids, is used as a cell scaffold. By engineering the interfacial and bulk properties of the hydrophobic liquids, we can witness unique dynamic behaviors of cells and proteins at the interfaces.
Ref.) Adv. Mater. 32: 1905942 (2020); ibid, 36: 2310105 (2024); ibid, in press: 2403396."
