2013 Volume 11 Pages 25-28
Non-invasive detachment of Vorticella from a substrate is essential for fabricating a microsystem based on Vorticella. Here, we dry sodium alginate solution and obtain sodium alginate films with fewer uncrosslinked sol regions. Calcium ions cross-link the alginate polymers of the membrane and form a calcium alginate gel. We first culture V. convallaria on the gel membrane. By dissolving the membrane with a chelating agent, we detatch cells non-invasively from the substrate and obtain cells with intact stalks, which can then be placed in a microsystem without waiting for the stalks to grow. The cells can be patterned by lift-off of the calcium alginate membrane. The proposed method provides new processing capabilities and allows for the design and fabrication of a system based on an actuator of Vorticella. [DOI: 10.1380/ejssnt.2013.25]
