Cytocompatible Polymer Grafting from Individual Living Cells by Atom‐Transfer Radical Polymerization |
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Authors: | Ji Yup Kim Dr. Bong Soo Lee Jinsu Choi Beom Jin Kim Ji Yu Choi Prof. Dr. Sung Min Kang Prof. Dr. Sung Ho Yang Prof. Dr. Insung S. Choi |
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Affiliation: | 1. Center for Cell-Encapsulation Research, Department of Chemistry, KAIST, Daejeon, Korea;2. Department of Chemistry Education, Korea National University of Education, Chungbuk, Korea;3. Department of Chemistry, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea |
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Abstract: | A cytocompatible method of surface‐initiated, activator regenerated by electron transfer, atom transfer radical polymerization (SI‐ARGET ATRP) is developed for engineering cell surfaces with synthetic polymers. Dopamine‐based ATRP initiators are used for both introducing the ATRP initiator onto chemically complex cell surfaces uniformly (by the material‐independent coating property of polydopamine) and protecting the cells from radical attack during polymerization (by the radical‐scavenging property of polydopamine). Synthetic polymers are grafted onto the surface of individual yeast cells without significant loss of cell viability, and the uniform and dense grafting is confirmed by various characterization methods including agglutination assay and cell‐division studies. This work will provide a strategic approach to the generation of living cell–polymer hybrid structures and open the door to their application in multitude of areas, such as sensor technology, catalysis, theranostics, and cell therapy. |
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Keywords: | cell surface engineering polydopamine polymer brushes radical reactions surface chemistry |
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