How stiff and thin can an engineered extracellular matrix be? Modeling molecular forces at the cell-matrix interface

The function of tissue cells can be significantly modulated by changes in the local mechanical environment, including the stiffness of the substrata to which these cells adhere. To engineer surfaces that maintain or induce cell functions, it is important to understand the force, length, and timescal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	2007 29th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Vol. 2007; pp. 6418 - 6420
Main Authors:	Walton, E.B., Oommen, B., Van Vliet, K.J.
Format:	Conference Proceeding Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States IEEE 01-01-2007
Subjects:	Adhesives Biological materials Birth disorders Electrochemical machining Electronic countermeasures Extracellular Extracellular Matrix - physiology Finite Element Analysis Finite element methods Focal Adhesions - physiology Mechanical factors Stress Tissue Engineering
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	The function of tissue cells can be significantly modulated by changes in the local mechanical environment, including the stiffness of the substrata to which these cells adhere. To engineer surfaces that maintain or induce cell functions, it is important to understand the force, length, and timescales over which cell surface receptors probe the local mechanical environment. Here we show how simplified continuum and atomistic simulations of the nanoscale forces between cell surface receptors and extracellular matrix molecules help define the critical features of materials designed to recapitulate the cell's in vivo mechanical environment for tissue engineering applications.
ISBN:	9781424407873 1424407877
ISSN:	1094-687X 1557-170X 1558-4615
DOI:	10.1109/IEMBS.2007.4353825