Cellular mechanosensory: tissue engineering material design

Is well known that complex biological processes such as development, tissue function, immune response, and wound healing require the orchestration of a variety of biochemical signals, primarily achieved by active cross-talk between cells and their environment. For this reason, in the last ten years the research interest have been focused on the study and design of novel materials able to stimulate, control and promote cell growth and remodelling, to enhance the recovery and repair of tissue functions. On the contrary the influence of the structure of the material on the mechanism of cellular function has never been addressed in a specific manner. The aim is to study the influence of the microstructure of different materials on the cell viability and motility and to define not only the chemical but also the physical characteristics of an engineered gel.