Micro- and Nanoengineering of the Cell Surface

Chapter 14

Biofunctionalization of Hydrogels for Engineering the Cellular Microenvironment

Maniraj Bhagawati and Sanjay Kumar,    Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

The in vivo cellular microenvironment is a complex network of proteins and carbohydrates that not only acts as a scaffold for cell adhesion but also provides a wide range of biochemical and physical signals that are important for directing cell behavior. This extracellular matrix (ECM) is in turn also a substrate for cell-induced degradation and remodeling. Current advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have inspired the fabrication of in vitro material systems that can mimic biologically instructive properties of the ECM. ...