Thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-101). / Embryonic stem cells serve as powerful models for the study of development and disease and hold enormous potential for future therapeutics. Yet, over two decades after mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) were first isolated, there is still little known about the role of cell-cell signaling in self-renewal. Since traditional cell-culture techniques do not provide significant control of the stem cell microenvironment, the goal of this thesis was to develop a cell patterning technology that allows us to precisely control stem cell signaling and monitor cell proliferation over time. In the first aim of this thesis, we describe the development of our first cell patterning technology using dielectrophoresis (DEP). DEP uses nonuniform electric fields to trap cells on or between electrodes. We first used beads as model particles to validate the strength of our DEP square trap, and then demonstrated efficient cell patterning with multiple cell types. In the second aim of this thesis, we describe the development of a novel cell patterning technology that we created, called the Bio Flip Chip (BFC). / (cont.) The BFC is a microfabricated polymer chip, containing thousands of microwells, that enables cell patterning with single-cell resolution anywhere on a substrate and onto any substrate. In the last aim of this thesis, we used our BFC technology to control the stem cell microenvironment, allowing us to incrementally and independently modulate cell-cell contact. We present the first quantitative evidence that cell-cell contact depresses mESC colony formation and show that E-cadherin signaling is responsible for this negative regulatory pathway. / by Adam Rosenthal. / Ph.D.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:MIT/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/39007 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Rosenthal, Adam D. (Adam David), 1978- |
| Contributors | Joel Voldman., Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology., Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. |
| Publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Source Sets | M.I.T. Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 101 leaves, application/pdf |
| Rights | M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission., http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 |
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