Surface Nanopatterning to Control Cell Growth

A significant challenge in implantology is the design of biomaterials that actively promote functional regeneration of the host tissue while avoiding undesirable tissue responses. This requires selective control of interactions at the tissue/implant interface, the site of a series of complex events that depend on synergistic parameters including surface chemistry, elasticity, topography, and energy. To date, efforts have focused largely on defining how microtexture influences the molecular and cellular events of tissue repair. However, it is now widely recognized that biological substrates on which cells thrive consist of nanostructured molecular networks, and the sensing apparatus of cells operates on the nanometer scale. Reports have emerged showing that nanometer-scale surface features can influence cellular attachment, differentiation, and alignment. The present study takes an important further step by showing how simple chemical treatment can generate multifunctional nanostructured surfaces that control cell growth selectively. These surfaces promote the growth of certain cells while inhibiting that of others, without the addition of any exogenous biological or pharmacological agents. Cellular response to the surface features in the micrometerrange such as grooves, ridges, and wells has been well established. In the past few years, interest has shifted to evaluating the potential of nanostructured biomaterials for affecting cellular activity. Work in this area has been facilitated by recent advances in technologies used to modify