SPATIALLY DIRECTED EJECTION OF CELLS FROM A CARRIER FLUID

• Main Authors: MUTZ, Mitchell, W, ELLSON, Richard, N
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 30.10.2019
• Subjects: APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL ORENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS; CULTURE MEDIA; ENZYMOLOGY; i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; LINING MACHINES; MEASURING; MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEICACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PRINTING; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS; SPIRITS; STAMPS; TESTING; TRANSPORTING; TYPEWRITERS; VINEGAR; WINE

This invention is directed to the use of focused acoustic energy in the spatially directed ejection of cells suspended in a carrier fluid, for printing and patterning cells onto a substrate surface, for example to pattern an array of cells onto a substrate. An array of cells on a substrate surface comprising an array of substantially planar sites, with each site containing a single cell, is consequently also provided. Also disclosed are methods for the systematic generation and screening of arrays of living cells on a substrate from fluids containing one or more living cells. A method of attaching cells displaying a specific marker moiety on their surface, through specific recognition of the marker moiety by a cognate moiety that is linked to the surface is provided. Cells may be transformed to display a specific marker recognized by a corresponding cognate moiety, or the marker moiety may appear on untransformed cells. Cells displaying marker moieties may be conveniently attached to a surface functionalized with the cognate moiety. The combination of acoustic ejection and the marker moiety/cognate moiety system can be employed to select cells displaying a specific marker for adhesion to a substrate surface. The combination of several different marker moieties uniquely displayed on the cell surface of different types of cells combined with an array of different cognate moieties on a substrate may be employed in conjunction with the acoustic ejection of single living cells to create cell arrays with a specific number of cells displaying a specific marker attached to the substrate surface at a desired locale or region.