13. Microstructured Devices for Studying Cell Adhesion, Dynamics and Overall Mechanobiology

The fact that cellular development and fate is very dependent, not just of the biochemical signals of the environment and of their own genetic background, but also of the mechanical properties and mechanical stimuli acting within the extra cellular matrix, has promoted the birth of a new field of science and technology at the interface of biology and engineering, that of mechanobiology. Such novel field focuses on the way that physical forces, stresses and strains, and changes in cell or tissue mechanics contribute to tissue development, to the success of physiological interactions and even to the appearance of disease. A major challenge in the field is linked to understanding the complex mechanisms by which cells sense and respond to mechanical signals: the mechanotransduction properties of cells. Although completely understanding how cells respond to mechanical stimuli and learning about their mechano-sensitive properties and about the mechanical forces they can develop is a complex task, the use of biomedical microdevices with controlled microstructures and microtextures can be a useful strategy for the progressive comprehension of single and collective cell behavior. This chapter provides some introductory examples of microsystems developed for generating knowledge for the field of mechanobiology. The cases of study include cell culture platforms for obtaining different types of cell aggregations, biomedical microsystems for studying the impact of surface texture on cell behavior and some final textured surfaces with details reaching nanometric details.