Extracellular matrix (ECM) interacts with cells, providing structural, mechanical, biochemical, and compositional information, which strongly influences cellular function. Further, a variety of molecules tethered to ECM influence tissue development and homeostasis. Therefore, it is important to use state-of-the-art technique to probe the fundamental role of ECM in directing cellular function, tissue development and morphogenesis. Design and construction of biomaterials by incorporating the structural and functional principles from ECM holds great promise in advancing biomaterial research including scaffold, implant interfaces, and cell culture substrate. Among all the important cell types, stem cells and immune cells play the vital role in regenerative process and maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Therefore, the understanding on the interplay between stem/immune cells with biomaterials determines the functionality of the biomaterials and their ultimate therapeutic effects. Stem cells and immune cells sense multiple intrinsic features of ECM. Those signals are transduced from the cell membrane to the nucleus to regulate gene expression, eventually affecting cell fate. Hence, the design of biomaterials with an appropriate physicochemical property to instruct stem/immune cells can elicit the desirable cell differentiation and favor the biomaterial integration and healing.

In this symposium, a selection of multidisciplinary speakers will cover a wide range of important topics related to modulation of cellular response via biomaterials. This symposium will offer valuable insights into interactions between cells and synthetic materials that can be applied to the design of innovative bio-instructive materials including scaffold, implant interfaces, cell culture substrate, which will enable advances in diverse fields spanning biophysics, tissue engineering, stem cell delivery, vaccination and immunotherapies, and implantable devices.

biomaterial biomedical biomimetic interface microstructure morphology tissue