Over the past 3 decades, there has
been a vast expansion of research
in both tissue engineering and organic electronics. Although the two
fields have interacted little, the materials and fabrication technologies
which have accompanied the rise of organic electronics offer the potential
for innovation and translation if appropriately adapted to pattern
biological materials for tissue engineering. In this work, we use
two organic electronic materials as adhesion points on a biocompatible
poly(p-xylylene) surface. The organic electronic
materials are precisely deposited via vacuum thermal
evaporation and organic vapor jet printing, the proven, scalable processes
used in the manufacture of organic electronic devices. The small molecular-weight
organics prevent the subsequent growth of antifouling polyethylene
glycol methacrylate polymer brushes that grow within the interstices
between the molecular patches, rendering these background areas both
protein and cell resistant. Last, fibronectin attaches to the molecular
patches, allowing for the selective adhesion of fibroblasts. The process
is simple, reproducible, and promotes a high yield of cell attachment
to the targeted sites, demonstrating that biocompatible organic small-molecule
materials can pattern cells at the microscale, utilizing techniques
widely used in electronic device fabrication.