Cell-Repellent Polyampholyte for Conformal Coating on Microstructures

The document presents a study on the use of a polyampholyte, prevelex, for creating a cell-repellent coating on microdevice surfaces. This coating is resistant to protein adsorption, can withstand sterilization, and prevents cell adhesion. It was found to be uniform and ultra-thin on micro/nano-fabricated silicon substrates. The coating was also effective in inducing spheroid formation in various cell types. Notably, a mixture of mouse embryonic epithelial and mesenchymal cells formed hair follicle germ-like aggregates in a prevelex-coated microwell array device, which generated de novo hair follicles when transplanted into mice. The study concludes that prevelex can be beneficial for creating robust nonfouling surfaces in biomedical applications, including hair follicle regeneration. Further investigations are needed to examine the long-term stability of the coated layer and maintenance of cell-repellent capability against spheroids and other tissue grafts.