Analysis of innate immunity at the nanoscale
Monocytes/macrophages are part of the first response of immune cells to foreign materials like nanoparticles or nanostructured surfaces. In collaboration with cells of the endothelium they mediate the reaction on such templates at the cellular and humoral level. In the frame of this project marker-free parameters like cellular elasticity or surfaces structures are investigated to analyze the activation and differentiation status of the cells involved in this process. The gained information is used for the optimized application in diagnostics and immunotherapy of cancer or inflammation.
Selective capture of polarized M1 and M2 macrophages on microarrays. The cells were incubated with biotinylated antibodies, in form of specific and non-specific IgG (as isotype control) prior to the test. (a) Localized capture of macrophages incubated with biotinylated specific antibodies on microarrays, generated by Polymer Pen Lithography (PPL). (b) Zoom-in of the areas (white frames) in (a) of the corresponding macrophage subtype. (c) Binding of macrophages on microarrays incubated with non-specific biotinylated IgG (isotype control). Cells were stained with DAPI and CTOG, arrays with Cy-3. Scale bars are 100 µm in all pictures.