High-Throughput, Laser-based Alginate Microbead Fabrication and Patterning

Laser direct-write (LDW) is a biofabrication technique that was developed to produce cell patterns of high spatial resolution. We present an adaptation to this technique to rapidly create alginate microbeads in large, precise arrays, with and without encapsulated cells. It is further demonstrated that we maintain a high degree of spatial control in these large fabricated patterns. Rapid and precisely alginate microbead deposition on a planar surface, enabled by LDW, cannot be accomplished by other techniques. The spatial precision of this LDW will enable bottom-up tissue engineering fabrication and large biological studies based on the placement of cell-encapsulated microbeads.