Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: NanoInk announces the controlled deposition of hydrogels for applied bioscience & biotechnology research

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Hydrogel precursors are deposited using DPN followed by a crosslinking step.

Abstract:
NanoInk, leaders in nanofabrication applications and instrumentation, announce a new and significant application with excellent potential in biomedical engineering.

NanoInk announces the controlled deposition of hydrogels for applied bioscience & biotechnology research

Skokie, IL | Posted on December 9th, 2009

Using surface topography and chemistry to manipulate cells and tissue in a predictable manner is long term goal of biomaterials researchers. Unfortunately, biological systems are inherently complex and making surfaces with the necessary micro and nanoscale features can be expensive and time consuming. Being able to perform rapid prototyping experiments on length scales of less than two microns opens new opportunities for researchers. The deposition of biocompatible polymers onto a range of substrates offers the ability to understand the binding between cells and surfaces as well as exploring how arbitrary patterns affect cell morphology and behavior. While this is in the early stages of development, the potential for applications in tissue engineering, scaffolds, protein arrays, and neuroscience make this a significant breakthrough.

Using NanoInk's unique patented process of Dip Pen Nanolithography® (DPN®), biocompatible polymers function as simple DPN "inks" enabling one to directly deposit nanoscale features of the polymer, either pure or mixed with some molecule, dye, protein, or peptide. Then, after deposition and depending on the specific polymer, there is a crosslinking step that can be induced by UV, pH or simply heating, transforming the deposited polymer into a nanoscale three dimensional hydrogel network.

There are unique applications in cell motility studies as it is now possible to pattern multiple hydrogels, each with a different cell binding protein or peptide, all in a single parallel experiment. The process can be controlled such that the chemical binding of the hydrogel is altered while retaining its size. This alone will help cut down on the unknowns in biomaterials engineering experiments and finally give researchers the ability to answer many long standing questions about scaffold/substrate and scaffold/cell binding. This opens the way to rapid prototyping of different hydrogel combinations without changing the overall DPN deposition characteristics.

This is a ready-to-use application since no extensive ink development is required. The researcher just has to add the appropriate biomolecule to the hydrogel precursor and commence deposition. As the deposition characteristics are determined by the gel, not the encapsulated biomolecules, the possibilities for this new application of DPN are huge.

Visit NanoInk's web site and read more about the application of DPN and hydrogel inks: www.nanoink.net/ApplicationDevelopment.htm.

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About NanoInk
NanoInk, Inc. is an emerging growth technology company specializing in nanometer-scale manufacturing and applications development for the life science and semiconductor industries. Using Dip Pen Nanolithography® (DPN®), a patented and proprietary nanofabrication technology, scientists are enabled to rapidly and easily create nanoscale structures from a wide variety of materials. This low cost, easy to use and scalable technique brings sophisticated nanofabrication to the laboratory desktop.

Located in the new Illinois Science + Technology Park, north of Chicago, NanoInk currently has over 140 patents and applications filed worldwide and has licensing agreements with Northwestern University, Stanford University, University of Strathclyde, University of Liverpool, California Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

NanoInk, the NanoInk logo, Dip Pen Nanolithography and DPN are trademarks or registered trademarks of NanoInk, Inc.

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Contacts:
NanoInk, Inc.
8025 Lamon Avenue
Skokie
Illinois 60077
United States of America
T +1 847 745 3619
F +1 847 679 8767

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