Poly(vinyl alcohol)-micropatterned surfaces for manipulation of mesenchymal stem cell functions

Micropatterning is a useful method to study the effects of biological and physical cues on cell functions. Various micropatterning methods have been developed for investigation of cell-cell interaction and cell-material interaction. As one of the potent methods, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based micropatterning has been used to array cells in a pre-designed manner for a long-term cell culture. Cell population and single cell arrays can be formed in the micropatterned surfaces. The micropatterned surfaces have used to generate a gradient cell density, different degree of cell spreading, protrusion and cell-cell interaction and different geometry to investigate their effects on the differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. This chapter highlights the latest development of PVA-based micropatterning and its application for manipulation of stem cell functions.