PS has been shown to be an excellent candidate biomaterial following studies showing its biostability and non-toxicity. These favourable properties, coupled with the ease of its topographical manipulation, and its optoelectronic properties, make it an ideal material for the design of biologically interfaced devices (BIDs). Possible potential applications for PS in BIDs falls into three main areas: (i) in vitro biosensors, (ii) the development of intelligent implantible medical devices and (iii) biologically interfaced neural networks. The majority of these applications rely on the ability of PS to directly interface with living cells. In order to achieve this the cells must adhere to the solid-state device in a pattern appropriate to the circuitry. Here we report the use of confocal microscopy to image B50 cells on PS substrates in order to obtain cell patterning information. We also report the quantification of silicic acid and silica toxicity on B50 cells in culture, a study confirming that suggested by-products of PS manufacture are not toxic. Finally, preliminary findings on the effect of nerve growth factor (NGF) on the morphology of B50 cells in culture are presented.

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