Material strategies for creating artificial cell-instructive niches

There has been a tremendous growth in the use of biomaterials serving as cellular scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Recently, advanced material strategies have been developed to incorporate structural, mechanical, and biochemical signals that can interact with the cell and the in vivo environment in a biologically specific manner. In this article, strategies such as the use of composite materials and material processing methods to better mimic the extracellular matrix, integration of mechanical and topographical properties of materials in scaffold design, and incorporation of biochemical cues such as cytokines in tethered, soluble, or time-released forms are presented. Finally, replication of the dynamic forces and biochemical gradients of the in vivo cellular environment through the use of microfluidics is highlighted.

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► Biomaterial selection based on origin, biodegradability, and microstructure.
► Bulk and surface biochemical modification of scaffolds for presentation of cytokines.
► Designing scaffolds with in vivo-like mechanical properties and topography.
► Use of microfluidics to replicate dynamic mechanical and biochemical parameters.