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Mechanobiological Dynamics-Inspired Mechanomodulatory Biomaterials
Letao Yang1, Pengfei Jiang1, Joshua B Stein2
1Shanghai Tongji Hospital, Key Laboratory of Spine and Spinal Cord Injury Repair and Regeneration, Ministry of Education, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|December 8, 2025
Summary
Biomaterials can control stem cell fate by mimicking tissue mechanics. Innovations in dynamic materials and advanced culture systems are key for regenerative medicine and mechanotherapies.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Stem Cell Biology
- Mechanobiology
Background:
- Mechanical cues are crucial regulators of stem cell behavior, influencing processes like embryogenesis and tissue repair.
- Recreating complex tissue mechanical environments requires advanced biomaterial designs beyond conventional methods.
- Understanding mechanobiological dynamics and developing dynamic mechanomodulatory biomaterials are essential for controlling stem cell fate.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in biomaterial-mediated mechanomodulation of stem cell fate.
- To discuss how material properties (stiffness, nanotopography, shear stress, dynamic responsiveness) control stem cell processes (proliferation, differentiation, migration, apoptosis).
- To examine applications in tissue engineering (neurological, musculoskeletal, endocrine systems) and advanced culture systems (organoids, organ-on-chip).
Main Methods:
- Review of recent literature on biomaterial-mediated mechanomodulation.
- Analysis of material properties and their effects on stem cell behavior.
- Exploration of advanced techniques for investigating stem cell mechanotransduction (force probes, biosensors, materiomics, machine learning).
Main Results:
- Specific material properties precisely control stem cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis.
- Biomaterial strategies are applicable in conventional and advanced culture systems, including organoids and organ-on-chip platforms.
- Material innovations facilitate novel techniques for studying stem cell mechanotransduction.
Conclusions:
- Smarter biomaterial systems integrating diverse knowledge can accelerate clinical translation of mechanotherapies.
- Advancements in biomaterials are crucial for regenerative medicine and understanding stem cell mechanobiology.
- Interdisciplinary approaches are vital for designing next-generation biomaterials for tissue engineering and therapeutic applications.
