Engineering Cell Instructive Materials To Control Cell Fate and Functions through Material Cues and Surface Patterning

Mastering the interaction between cells and extracellular environment is a fundamental prerequisite in order to engineer functional biomaterial interfaces able to instruct cells with specific commands. Such advanced biomaterials might find relevant application in prosthesis design, tissue engineering, diagnostics and stem cell biology. Because of the highly complex, dynamic, and multifaceted context, a thorough understanding of the cell-material crosstalk has not been achieved yet; however, a variety of material features including biological cues, topography, and mechanical properties have been proved to impact the strength and the nature of the cell-material interaction, eventually affecting cell fate and functions. Although the nature of these three signals may appear very different, they are equated by their participation in the same material-cytoskeleton crosstalk pathway as they regulate cell adhesion events. In this work we present recent and relevant findings on the material-induced cell responses, with a particular emphasis on how the presentation of biochemical/biophysical signals modulates cell behavior. Finally, we summarize and discuss the literature data to draw out unifying elements concerning cell recognition of and reaction to signals displayed by material surfaces.