Integrated Micro/Nanoengineered Functional Biomaterials for Cell Mechanics and Mechanobiology: A Materials Perspective

Abstract

The rapid development of micro/nanoengineered functional biomaterials in the last two decades has empowered materials scientists and bioengineers to precisely control different aspects of the in vitro cell microenvironment. Following a philosophy of reductionism, many studies using synthetic functional biomaterials have revealed instructive roles of individual extracellular biophysical and biochemical cues in regulating cellular behaviors. Development of integrated micro/nanoengineered functional biomaterials to study complex and emergent biological phenomena has also thrived rapidly in recent years, revealing adaptive and integrated cellular behaviors closely relevant to human physiological and pathological conditions. Working at the interface between materials science and engineering, biology, and medicine, we are now at the beginning of a great exploration using micro/nanoengineered functional biomaterials for both fundamental biology study and clinical and biomedical applications such as regenerative medicine and drug screening. In this review, we present an overview of state of the art micro/nanoengineered functional biomaterials that can control precisely individual aspects of cell-microenvironment interactions and highlight them as well-controlled platforms for mechanistic studies of mechano-sensitive and -responsive cellular behaviors and integrative biology research. We also discuss the recent exciting trend where micro/nanoengineered biomaterials are integrated into miniaturized biological and biomimetic systems for dynamic multiparametric microenvironmental control of emergent and integrated cellular behaviors. The impact of integrated micro/nanoengineered functional biomaterials for future in vitro studies of regenerative medicine, cell biology, as well as human development and disease models are discussed.

Towards an on-chip platform for the controlled application of forces via magnetic particles: A novel device for mechanobiology

“…This fact is relevant because different biological mechanisms can be activated only by means of forces in the order of hundreds of pN. 1 In agreement with Eq. (2), H ext affects the force experimented by beads.…”

Self-Assembled Peptide Amphiphile Nanofibers and PEG Composite Hydrogels as Tunable ECM Mimetic Microenvironment

“…15 Cells can sense the mechanical properties of their environment and as a response to perceived mechanical stimuli, they generate biochemical activity along with the signal transduction mechanism called mechanotransduction. 16,17 The matrix stiffness can regulate cellular functions including adhesion, 18 spreading, 19 migration, 20 proliferation, 21 and differentiation. 13,22 One of the most commonly used synthetic polymers to investigate the effects of mechanical stimuli on cellular behavior is poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), which provides precise control of material stiffness.…”

Mechanisms, Capabilities, and Applications of High‐Resolution Electrohydrodynamic Jet Printing

“…Additive patterning of biomaterials with high resolution in three dimensions may enable controlled cellular environments that are central to tissue engineering [ 248 ] and biology. [249][250][251] Direct and high-resolution printing of individual cells and components of an extracellular matrix may play a key role in further developments in this area. [ 252 ] A relatively unexplored but growing area of opportunity is in the fabrication of photonic and plasmonic devices, where patterning of nanomaterials at high resolution is important.…”