Introduction to the Special Section on Nanostructured Materials for Tissue Regeneration

Nanostructured biomaterials afford a unique opportunity to engineer constructs that can directly influence the behavior and fate of cells, tissues, and organs. The intrinsic utility of these materials for biomedical applications is grounded in the ability to match characteristic length scales of natural physiologic sub-cellular structures in engineered constructs with nanoscale features that directly impact cell function. Designing biomaterials to interface and stimulate specific cellular activities provides a basis for numerous high-impact applications in regenerative medicine, including bioactive materials that direct wound healing and guide tissue regeneration. These systems can take the form of particles, fibers, meshes, foams, and scaffolds that feature nanostructured components as a potent cue. Embedded nanostructures can ultimately direct cell behavior by virtue of interactions such as modulated protein ad- sorption, receptor-ligand binding, and contact guidance. This Special Section addresses many aspects of these aforementioned cell-nanomaterial interactions in the context of biomaterials. Specifically, the articles in this Special Section focus on the design and evaluation of nanostructured biomaterials with an emphasis on improving the efficacy of tissue regeneration strategies.