Designer substrates and devices for mechanobiology study

Both biological and engineering approaches have contributed significantly to the recent advance in the field of mechanobiology. Collaborating with biologists, bio-engineers and materials scientists have employed the techniques stemming from the conventional semiconductor industry to rebuild cellular milieus that mimic critical aspects of in vivo conditions and elicit cell/tissue responses in vitro. Such reductionist approaches have help to unveil important mechanosensing mechanism in both cell and tissue level, including stem cell differentiation and proliferation, tissue expansion, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. In this mini-review, we discuss various microfabrication methods that have been applied to generate specific properties and functions of designer substrates/devices, which disclose cell-microenvironment interactions and the underlying biological mechanisms. In brief, we emphasize on the studies of cell/tissue mechanical responses to substrate adhesiveness, stiffness, topography, and shear flow. Moreover, we comment on the new concepts of measurement and paradigms for investigations of biological mechanotransductions that are yet to emerge due to on-going interdisciplinary efforts in the fields of mechanobiology and microengineering