Electroactive open foam synthesized from polyHIPE modified with a conducting polymer used as a dynamic cell culture scaffold

A 4D electroactive scaffold was designed to better mimic the natural dynamic environment of cells during in vitro studies. It is a combination of an interconnected porous polyHIPE structure modified with an electroactive polymer, PEDOT. It allows rapid cell colonization and proved to be cytocompatible, supporting essential cell functions like adhesion, migration, and proliferation. The major innovation of this approach lies in the ability of the scaffold to undergo volumetric changes when an electrical stimulus is applied, thereby introducing a mechanical dimension to the cell culture, moving beyond static 3D models. Cells cultured within the scaffold adopted a natural, spindle-like shape and produced fibronectin, an essential extracellular matrix protein. An electromechanical stimulation device was developed for utilization of the scaffold in in vitro cell culture studies and live cell imaging. This study successfully establishes the proof of concept for using the electroactive polyHIPE-PEDOT scaffold as a 4D cell culture tool.