Engineering the cellular mechanical microenvironment - from bulk mechanics to the nanoscale Articles uri icon

publication date

  • May 2019

start page

  • 1

end page

  • 14

issue

  • 9

volume

  • 132

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0021-9533

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1477-9137

abstract

  • The field of mechanobiology studies how mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM), such as stiffness, and other mechanical stimuli regulate cell behaviour. Recent advancements in the field and the development of novel biomaterials and nanofabrication techniques have enabled researchers to recapitulate the mechanical properties of the microenvironment with an increasing degree of complexity on more biologically relevant dimensions and time scales. In this Review, we discuss different strategies to engineer substrates that mimic the mechanical properties of the ECM and outline how these substrates have been applied to gain further insight into the biomechanical interaction between the cell and its microenvironment.

subjects

  • Biology and Biomedicine
  • Materials science and engineering

keywords

  • cellular biomechanics; focal adhesions; mechanobiology; nanotopography; viscoelasticity