Complex Stiffness Gradient Substrates for Studying Mechanotactic Cell Migration

1. Cheng-Hwa R. Kuo¹, 
2. Jian Xian², 
3. James D. Brenton², 
4. Kristian Franze^3,*, 
5. Easan Sivaniah^1,*

Article first published online: 18 SEP 2012

DOI: 10.1002/adma.201202520

Polyacrylamide gels are cast upon a stiff support with controlled topography, resulting in a thin gel layer of variable height. The topographical profiles project a stiffness map onto the gel, resulting in controlled linear and non-linear 2D stiffness gradients. Fibroblasts, which migrate towards stiffer substrates, accumulate in areas with a gel thickness below 15 μm.