Selective capture and non-invasive release of cells using a thermoresponsive polymer brush with affinity peptides

Thermoresponsive block copolymer brush with cell affinity peptides was prepared via two steps of ATRP and subsequent click reaction. The prepared polymer brush can purify cells with high selectivity by simply changing temperature.

Thermally-modulated cell separation columns using a thermoresponsive block copolymer brush as a packing material for the purification of mesenchymal stem cells

Cell therapy using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is used as effective regenerative therapy. Cell therapy requires effective cell separation without cell modification and cell activity sustainment. In this study, we...

Synthesis of Block Copolymer Brush by RAFT and Click Chemistry and Its Self-Assembly as a Thin Film

A well-defined block copolymer brush poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-graft-(poly(methyl methacrylate)-block- poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate)) (PGMA-g-(PMMA-b-POEGMA)) is synthesized via grafting from an approach based on a combination of click chemistry and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The resulting block copolymer brushes were characterized by 1H-NMR and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The self-assembly of the block copolymer brush was then investigated under selective solvent conditions in three systems: THF/water, THF/CH3OH, and DMSO/CHCl3. PGMA-g-(PMMA-b-POEGMA) was found to self-assemble into spherical micelle structures as analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The average size of the particles was much smaller in THF/CH3OH and DMSO/CHCl3 as compared with the THF/water system. Thin film of block copolymer brushes with tunable surface properties was then prepared by the spin-coating technique. The thickness of the thin film was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Atom force microscopy (AFM) analysis revealed a spherical morphology when the block copolymer brush was treated with poor solvents for the backbone and hydrophobic side chains. The contact angle measurements were used to confirm the surface rearrangements of the block copolymer brushes.