Directed Cellular Dynamics on Aligned STEP Fibrous Mechanistic Microenvironments

Cells attach to and interact with their immediate mechanistic native microenvironment. However, the current state-the-art in vitro cell studies are performed on flat substrates of glass, plastic or gel. [1]. The native environment consisting of an assembly of protein nanofibers forming the extracellular matrix (ECM) offers different mechanistic environments for different tissues, which elicits diverse cellular behavior [2]. Recently, there is increased interest in mimicking the ECM by depositing polymeric fibers in single and multiple layers using electrospinning, template synthesis, and micro dry-spinning. The key fibrous spatial parameters (diameter, alignment, spacing, and orientation) can be designed to generate microenvironments of varying mechanical properties. However, the exact role of these parameters on cellular behavior is not clearly understood. Hence, in this study we explore the topological-mechanistic effects of fibrous scaffolds on dynamics of different cell types.