Using microenvironment to engineer stem cell function

Summary form only given. Stem cells differentiate into different lineages depending on the local cues present in their microenvironment. While soluble cues have been studied in great depth, little is known about the role of insoluble cues such as cell adhesion and mechanical forces. We now show that human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) commit to different lineages depending on their physical microenvironment. Using microfabricated tools, we found that cell shape regulates MSCs commitment, and does so through a cytoskeletal tension-dependent pathway. We will discuss the novel tools that we are developing to study these mechanical signals, and how they have informed us about how cells probe and respond to their environment.