SOFT-MI: a novel microfabrication technique integrating soft-lithography and molecular imprinting for tissue engineering applications.

An innovative approach has been employed for the realization of bioactive scaffolds able to mimic the in-vivo cellular microenvironment for tissue engineering applications. This method is based on the combination of molecular imprinting and soft-lithography technology to enhance cellular adhesion and to guide cell growth and proliferation due to presence of highly specific recognition sites of selected biomolecules on a well-defined polymeric microstructure. In this paper polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) scaffolds have been realized by using poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microstructured molds imprinted with FITC-albumin and TRITC-lectin. In addition gelatin, an adhesion protein, was employed for the molecular imprinting of polymeric scaffolds for cellular tests. The most innovative aspect of this research was the molecular imprinting of whole cells for the development of substrates able to enhance the cell adhesion processes.