As the complex structure of nervous tissue cannot be mimicked in two-dimensional (2D) cultures, the development of three-dimensional (3D) neuronal cell culture platforms is a topical issue in the field of neuroscience and neural tissue engineering. Computer-assisted laser-based fabrication techniques such as direct laser writing by two-photon polymerization (2PP-DLW) offer a versatile tool to fabricate 3D cell culture platforms with highly ordered geometries in the size scale of natural 3D cell environments. In this study, we present the design and 2PP-DLW fabrication process of a novel 3D neuronal cell culture platform based on tubular microtowers. The platform facilitates efficient long-term 3D culturing of human neuronal cells and supports neurite orientation and 3D network formation. Microtower designs both with or without intraluminal guidance cues and/or openings in the tower wall are designed and successfully fabricated from Ormocomp. Three of the microtower designs are chosen for the final culture platform: a design with openings in the wall and intralumial guidance cues (webs and pillars), a design with openings but without intraluminal structures, and a plain cylinder design. The proposed culture platform offers a promising concept for future 3D cultures in the field of neuroscience.
Keywords: 3D culture platform; direct laser writing; microstructures; neurons; orientation of neurites; two-photon polymerization.