Stem cell differentiation on stretchable conducting substrates

Abstract

It is well-known that cells can adapt and grow in different biochemical conditions. The study of cell-substrate interaction is an important research area which has implications both in basic cell and molecular biology studies and in the field of biomaterials. in vitro studies of physiological properties of cell have shown that they can integrate and respond to a variety of biological, chemical and physical information provided to them by the extra-cellular matrix. The availability of synthetic-soft polymer substrates which mechanically mimic the invivo conditions has thrown open the field of tissue engineering. The effect of biological and chemical cues on cell behavior and growth has been widely studied. The protocol for cell culture of different cell types is well-established and routinely used. The property of cells residing in their native tissue environment in vivo is occasionally different from the in vitro cultured cells. This shows the influence of mechanical environment and the extra-cellular matrix (ECM) on cell growth and proliferation. Pioneering work in this field by Discher et al. show that the variety of cell types is affected by the stiffness of the underlying substrate [4]. Movement and spreading of fibroblasts is affected by the change in elasticity of the polyacrylamide gels [5-6].