3.5. Poly-HEMA Coating

First, 1.2 g of poly-HEMA (Sigma-Aldrich) was dissolved in 40 mL of 95% ethanol by mixing the solution overnight at 37 °C. Then, 50 μL or 3.2 mL of the poly-HEMA stock solution were added to 96-well plates and 10-cm dishes, respectively, under the tissue culture hood; the plates and dishes were swirled for 10 min using a plate rotator. The plates were left to dry overnight and then washed with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) immediately before use.