Cell signalling and biomaterials have a symbiotic relationship as demonstrated by a bioinformatics study: the role of surface topography

Cell–substrate interaction is a process influenced by severalvariables. The topography, the chemical and mechanicalproperties of a biomaterial can influence significantly specificintracellular signalling cascades that exert control over adhe-sion, proliferation, self-renewal, migration and cell differentia-tion. Through a bioinformatics approach, we evaluated thepathways that are modulated by topographies on differentbiomaterials. Nanofibers are biomaterials with a topographythat well mimics naturally occurring extracellular environmentable to establish symbiotic-like relationships with the cells. In-teractions with the contact area of the cells and the focalcontacts represent a link between the extracellular matrix andthe cytoskeleton, capable of influencing epigenetic regulationof cell processes. Electrospun fibres are the ideal candidatescaffolding material owing to their surface properties and theability to promote cell adhesion and to guide intracellularsignalling cascades. The use of predictive models can facilitatethe rational design of tailored biomaterial substrate–cells in-terfaces necessary for the improved outcomes of biomaterialsscience, stem cells, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.