A PhD student in the lab coated some tissue culture plates and flasks with poly-HEMA using the same protocol that we always use in the lab. However, when we look at these plates with cells growing in them the poly-HEMA has formed lots of droplets, rather than being the smooth coating we usually expect.
Has anyone else had this? (photo attached)
Hello Jemima Becker
What is the purpose of using Poly-HEMA coating? Is your research goal to generate spheroids?
Poly-HEMA is a hydrophilic polymer, meaning it attracts water molecules. This property makes it difficult for cells, which are largely composed of hydrophobic molecules, to interact and adhere to the surface. As cells cannot attach to the poly-HEMA coated surface, they tend to aggregate and form three-dimensional structures called spheroids. This is because cells prefer to minimize their contact with the non-adhesive surface and maximize contact with each other. This property of poly-HEMA is utilized in generating spheroids or studying cell behavior in a 3D environment.
While you might find some cells initially attaching and proliferating as a monolayer on a poly-HEMA coated surface, but that is not the primary purpose of coating. The goal is to induce spheroid formation (3D spheroids) that is different from the usual monolayer cell culture.
Best,
Malcolm Nobre thank you for your reply! Yes these plates are to be used for culturing neural stem cells in suspension to generate neurospheres. I am slightly baffled by these plates as I have used poly-HEMA coating extensively in the last few years and have not seen this happen before!
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