Cells response to topographic and chemical micropatterns

It is well known that surface features, such as topographical or chemical cues, can affect cell behavior from initial attachment and migration to differentiation and production of new tissues; this phenomenon is called contact guidance. A great improvement in studies concerning this phenomenon comes from progress in microfabrication techniques such as photolithography or soft lithography. Due to these techniques, a wide variety of micro-patterned surfaces can be realized to control cell size, shape, spatial organization and proliferation. These studies promoted the development of cellular bioassays that provide entirely new insights into the factors that control cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation onto material surfaces and molecular signaling pathways. The ability to control shape and spreading is also important to direct stem cells to different specific lineages, but it is also of great importance for the design of cell culture substrates for tissue engineering. In this work, the possibility of patterning surfaces is investigated, with particular focus on the micrometric scale. The response of different types of cells is also investigated.