Dual-Responsive Self-Assembled Monolayer for Specific Capture and On-Demand Release of Live Cells

We report a dual-responsive self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on a well-defined rough gold substrate for dynamic capture and release of live cells. By incorporating 5′-triphosphate (ATP) aptamer into a SAM, we can accurately isolate specific cell types and subsequently release captured cells at either population or desired-group (or even single-cell) levels. On one hand, the whole SAMs can be disassembled through addition of ATP solution, leading to the entire release of the captured cells from the supported substrate. On the other hand, desired cells can be selectively released using near-infrared light irradiation, with relatively high spatial and temporal precision. The proposed dual-responsive cell capture-and-release system is biologically friendly and is reusable with another round of modification, showing great usefulness in cancer diagnosis and molecular analysis.