Spatial patterning of fibroblast cells with fabricating holographic patterning on the photoresponsive polymer.

Micro topographic feature was obtained by laser holographic fabrication on the photoresponsive polymer. Surface feature was localized using photomask for developing two dimensional cellular pattering. Fibroblast cells were cultured and proliferated only on the patterned substrate. Obtained cellular pattering suggests that the laser fabricating with photoresponsive polymer would be applied to regenerating new tissue and developing biomedical device of living cells.

Photo-triggering of the membrane gates in photo-responsive polymer for drug release.

The use of light stimulus for triggering drug is a promising method for accurate drug delivery. A new approach using azopolymer membrane and laser holography was investigated for developing light-triggering drug delivery system. Polymeric drug delivery system was prepared by covering azopolymer membrane on a drug agent. Holographic laser interference generated surface relief grating pattern on the azopolymer surface. The widths and depths of gates on the polymer membrane were easily modified by adjusting incident angle and irradiation time. Ar laser made the polymeric membrane permeable to the drug agent and release it in a solution. This result indicated that the azopolymer and laser holography would provide a strong foundation for the light-triggering drug delivery system.

The topographical guidance of neurons cultured on holographic photo-responsive polymer.

Neuronal cells to respond to submicron-scale groove structure. On the grooved structure of particular dimension, it has been reported that neuronal cells grew perpendicular to the groove direction. We used holographic photo-responsive polymer to form a submicron-scale surface relief grating structure. A sinusoidal groove pattern is built up by holographic interference of 488 nm Ar ion laser beams. The primary hippocampal neurons cultured on the surface of the polymer film grew extending their neurites in a perpendicular orientation to the groove direction. This suggests that laser holography can be used to control the neurites orientation and growth. The holographic grating and photo-responsive polymer will raise the possibility of controlling neural network formation between living cells by light.