Berlin 2012 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 17: Posters: Physics of Cells
BP 17.8: Poster
Wednesday, March 28, 2012, 17:30–19:30, Poster A
Photo-switchable Cell Adhesion on Functionalized Nanostructures — •Laith Kadem1, Michelle Holz2, Saskia Viebig1, Rainer Herges2, and Christine Selhuber-Unkel1 — 1Institute for Materials Science, Technical Faculty, CAU Kiel — 2Institute for Organic Chemistry, CAU Kiel
Cell adhesion is a crucial process, which plays an important role in a number of cell activities such as cell motility, differentiation and apoptosis. We aim at developing surfaces where light-induced switchable cell adhesion is feasible. On the one hand, we are preparing surfaces with photo-switchable hydrophobicity by using functionalized azobenzene molecules. On the other hand, we are using azobenzene molecules that are functionalized with RGD peptides in order to mediate specific cell adhesion to surfaces through integrins. Azobenzene molecules are reversible photo-induced isomerization units, so that the adhesion of cells can be photo-switched in a spatially and temporally defined fashion by UV and white light, respectively. The main adhesion platform for our adhesion experiments are nanostructured surfaces that have been fabricated using block-copolymer micelle nanolithography and that are functionalized with the azobenzene molecules. Here we show first results of cell adhesion on our photoswitchable surfaces.