Engineering of Surface Energy of Cell‐Culture Platform to Enhance the Growth and Differentiation of Dendritic Cells via Vapor‐Phase Synthesized Functional Polymer Films

Abstract

Although the dendritic cell (DC)‐based modulation of immune responses has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for tumors, infections, and autoimmune diseases, basic research and therapeutic applications of DCs are hampered by expensive growth factors and sophisticated culture procedures. Furthermore, the platform to drive the differentiation of a certain DC subset without any additional biochemical manipulations has not yet been developed. Here, five types of polymer films with different hydrophobicity via an initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) process to modulate the interactions related to cell–substrate adhesion are introduced. Especially, poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate) (pCHMA) substantially enhances the expansion and differentiation of conventional type 1 DCs (cDC1s), the prime DC subset for antigen cross‐presentation, and CD8+ T cell activation, by 4.8‐fold compared to the conventional protocol. The cDC1s generated from the pCHMA‐coated plates retain the bona fide DC functions including the expression of co‐stimulatory molecules, cytokine secretion, antigen uptake and processing, T cell activation, and induction of antitumor immune responses. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report highlighting that the modulation of surface hydrophobicity of the culture plate can be an incisive approach to construct an advanced DC culture platform with high efficiency, which potentially facilitates basic research and the development of immunotherapy employing DCs.

Designing Organic and Hybrid Surfaces and Devices with Initiated Chemical Vapor Deposition (iCVD)

“…Cell-culture surfaces for dendric cells (DCs) were created using conformal iCVD surface modification of standard cell culture plates. [111] The optimized iCVD surface modification allowed the efficient expansion and differentiation of conventional type 1 DCs derived from bone marrow. No expensive growth factors or additional biochemical manipulation was required.…”

iCVD Polymer Thin Film Bio‐Interface‐Performance for Fibroblasts, Cancer‐Cells, and Viruses Connected to Their Functional Groups and In Silico Studies

“…[21,22] Only limited by the vacuum vapor phase behavior, the biocompatible polymers used in iCVD can be combined on demand and range from organosilicons [23,24] over hydrogels [25,26] to carbohydrates. [27] In iCVD especially hydrogels have successfully been used in bio-interface applications like advanced cell culture platforms, [28] for bone tissue engineering, [29] or as antifouling coatings. [30] Nevertheless, studies of the bio-interface behavior of iCVD thin films are usually collaborations between the bio-/medical fields and chemical engineering fields and especially new monomer installation can require a long time and effort, making the choice of suitable monomers difficult.…”