Fabrication of a three-dimensional tissue model microarray using laser foaming of a gas-impregnated biodegradable polymer

A microarray containing three-dimensional (3D) tissue models is a promising substitute for the two-dimensional (2D) cell-based microarrays currently available for high throughput, tissue-based biomedical assays. A cell culture microenvironment similar to in vivo conditions could be achieved with biodegradable porous scaffolds. In this study, a laser foaming technique is developed to create an array of micro-scale 3D porous scaffolds. The effects of major process parameters and the morphology of the resulting porous structure were investigated. For comparison, cell culture studies were conducted with both foamed and unfoamed samples using T98G cells. The results show that by laser foaming gas-impregnated polylactic acid it is possible to generate an array of inverse cone shaped wells with porous walls. The size of the foamed region can be controlled with laser power and exposure time, while the pore size of the scaffold can be manipulated with the saturation pressure. T98G cells grow well in the foamed scaffolds, forming clusters that have not been observed in 2D cell cultures. Cells are more viable in the 3D scaffolds than in the 2D cell culture cases. The 3D porous microarray could be used for parallel studies of drug toxicity, guided stem cell differentiation, and DNA binding profiles. (paper)