New thermoresponsive polymer changes Bio-adhesion properties

04-Sep-08

German researchers from Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research developed an interesting new polymer that changes its hydrophilicity with the change in temperature: at 37°C it is hydrophobic, and at a room temperature it is hydrophilic. At 37 degrees Celsius, the usual incubation temperature for cell cultures, this material is water-repellent (hydrophobic) - the cells feel at ease in this environment and respond by multiplying rapidly. If the substrate is cooled to 25 degrees, equivalent to room temperature, the material becomes hydrophilic (attracts water): The cells try to avoid contact with the substrate by reducing their surface area, curling up into almost spherical shapes. This enables them to be rinsed off easily, so there is no longer any need to add an enzyme. This is not the first thermoresponsive polymer. The big difference is that it is based on polyethylene glycol (PEG), which unlike other materials of this type is biocompatible. It is thus an ideal substrate for cell cultures. The new material has the added advantage of being water-soluble and non-toxic. Lutz estimates that it will be possible to mass-produce Petri dishes coated with the new property-changing polymer in about two or three years' time.