In-chip fabrication of free-form 3D constructs for directed cell migration analysis

Free-form constructs with three-dimensional (3D) microporosity were fabricated by two-photon polymerization inside the closed microchannel of an injection-molded, commercially available polymer chip for analysis of directed cell migration. Acrylate constructs were produced as woodpile topologies with a range of pore sizes from 5 × 5 μm to 15 × 15 μm and prefilled with fibrillar collagen.

Dendritic cells seeded into the polymer chip in a concentration gradient of the chemoattractant CCL21 efficiently negotiated the microporous maze structure for pore sizes of 8 × 8 μm or larger. The cells migrating through smaller pore sizes made significantly more turns than those through larger pores.

The introduction of additional defined barriers in the microporous structure resulted in dendritic cells making more turns while still being able to follow the chemoattractant concentration gradient.