Multi-Protein Microcontact Printing with Micrometer Resolution

Depositing multiple proteins on the same substrate in positions similar to the natural cellular environment is essential to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this study, the development and verification of a multi-protein micro-contact printing (μCP) technique is described. It is shown that patterns of multiple proteins can be created by the sequential printing of proteins with μm precision in registration using an inverted microscope. Soft polymeric stamps were fabricated and were mounted on a microscope stage while the substrate to be stamped was placed on a microscope objective and kept at its focal distance. This geometry allowed for visualization of patterns during the multiple stamping events and facilitated the alignment of multiple stamped patterns. Astrocytes were cultured over stamped lane patterns and were seen to interact and align with the underlying protein patterns.