Effect of combination of nano structuring and polyelectrolyte multilayers on differentiation of stem cells

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Thomas Groth
• Subject Area: Biomaterials
• Term: from 2013 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 233863163

The extracellular matrix represents a substratum, which combines topographical and chemical cues in the nanometer scale with specific mechanical properties that control the behavior of cells. The objective of the proposal is directed to understand the effect of nanostructured substrata with specific viscoelastic properties on adhesion, growth and differentiation of the mouse mesenchymal stem cell line C3H/10T1/2. Nanosphere lithography will be applied here to generate gold structures with defined distance and size on flat model substrata. The subsequent modification of gold structures with layer-by-layer technique shall be applied here to generate polyelectrolyte multilayers with different viscoelastic properties. Since size and number of focal adhesions, which are regulated by the dimensions of nanostructures, as well as mechanical properties of substrata influence the behavior of cells, effects on adhesion, growth and differentiation of cells are expected, which shall be measured with cell and molecular biology methods. Overall, the project can provide knowledge on the effect of topographical and mechanical surface properties on the behavior of stem cells, which can be used in future for the development of new biomaterials in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants