We have fabricated a topographical substrate with a packed polystyrene bead an ay for the development of cell-based assay systems targeting voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs). Human neural progenitor cells (H945RB 3) cultured on both flat and topographical substrates were analyzed in terms of morphological spreading, neuronal commitment, resting membrane potential (V-m) establishment and VGCC function development We found, by SEM imaging, that arrayed subsumes, formed with both sub-micrometer (of 0 51 mu m in mean diameter) and and micrometer (of 1.98 mu m in mean diameter) beads, were capable of promoting the spreading of the progenitor cells as compared with the flat polystyrene surfaces With the micrometer beads, it was found that arrayed substrates facilitated the neural progenitor cells' maintenance of less negative V, values upon different anon with bEGF starvation, which favored predominant neuronal commitment. Almost all the progenitor cells were responsive to 50 mM K+ depolarization with an increase in [Ca2+](i) either before or upon differentiation, suggesting the expression of functional VGCCs. Compared to the flat polystyrene surfaces, microbead arrayed substrates facilitated the development of higher VGCC responsiveness by the progenitor cells upon differentiation The enhancement of both VGCC responsiveness and cell spreading by arrays of micrometer beads was most significant on day 14 into differentiation, which was the latest time point of measurement in this study This study thus rationalized the possibility for future substrate topography engineering to manipulate ion channel function and to meet the challenge of low VGCC responsiveness found in early drug discovery. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010,106: 649-659. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc