Issue 7, 2015

Biomimicry at the nanoscale: current research and perspectives of two-photon polymerization

Abstract

Living systems such as cells and tissues are extremely sensitive to their surrounding physico-chemical microenvironment. In the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, the maintenance of culture conditions suitable for the formation of proliferation niches, for the self-renewal maintenance of stem cells, or for the promotion of a particular differentiation fate is an important issue that has been addressed using different strategies. A number of investigations suggests that a particular cell behavior can be in vitro resembled by mimicking the corresponding in vivo conditions. In this context, several biomimetic environments have been designed in order to control cell phenotypes and functions. In this review, we will analyze the most recent examples of the control of the in vitro physical micro/nano-environment by exploiting an innovative technique of high resolution 3D photolithography, the two-photon polymerization (2pp). The biomedical applications of this versatile and disruptive computer assisted design/manufacturing technology are very wide, and range from the fabrication of biomimetic and nanostructured scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, to the microfabrication of biomedical devices, like ossicular replacement prosthesis and microneedles.

Graphical abstract: Biomimicry at the nanoscale: current research and perspectives of two-photon polymerization

Article information

Article type
Minireview
Submitted
04 Nov 2014
Accepted
07 Dec 2014
First published
08 Dec 2014

Nanoscale, 2015,7, 2841-2850

Author version available

Biomimicry at the nanoscale: current research and perspectives of two-photon polymerization

A. Marino, C. Filippeschi, V. Mattoli, B. Mazzolai and G. Ciofani, Nanoscale, 2015, 7, 2841 DOI: 10.1039/C4NR06500J

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