2023/05/26 by Rabea Link, Kai Weißenbruch, Motomu Tanaka +2 · 1 voice · 2 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Engineering · Medicine · #3D Printing in Biomedical Research #Cancer Cells and Metastasis #Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
paper · pdf · doi:10.1002/adfm.202302145
openalex publication_date 2023/05/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Abstract With the advent of mechanobiology, cell shape and forces have emerged as essential elements of cell behavior and fate, in addition to biochemical factors such as growth factors. Cell shape and forces are intrinsically linked to the physical properties of the environment. Extracellular stiffness guides migration of single cells and collectives as well as differentiation and developmental processes. In confined environments, cell division patterns are altered, cell death or extrusion might be initiated, and other modes of cell migration become possible. Tools from materials science such as adhesive micropatterning of soft elastic substrates or direct laser writing of 3D scaffolds have been established to control and quantify cell shape and forces in structured environments. Herein, a review is given on recent experimental and modeling advances in this field, which currently moves from single cells to cell collectives and tissue. A very exciting avenue is the combination of organoids with structured environments, because this will allow one to achieve organotypic function in a controlled setting well suited for long‐term and high‐throughput culture.