Photo-reactive polyvinylalcohol for photo-immobilized microarray.

A new photo-reactive polymer, polyvinylalcohol modified with phenylazido groups, was synthesized as a microarray matrix. The polymer is soluble in water and spin-coated onto glass plate. Aqueous solutions of proteins were micro-spotted onto the coated glass and were fixed by ultraviolet light irradiation. Subsequently, cell adhesion on the photo-immobilized protein microarray was investigated. Non-specific adhesion of cells onto non-protein-spotted regions was reduced in comparison with the previously prepared microarray chip (Biomaterials 24 (2003) 3021). The adhesion behavior of cells depended on the kind of immobilized proteins and the type of cells. The microarray will be useful for cell diagnosis and for the selection of biomaterials to regulate cell behavior.