Engineered cell culture microenvironments for mechanobiology studies of brain neural cells

The biomechanical properties of the brain microenvironment, which is composed of different neural cell types, the extracellular matrix, and blood vessels, are critical for normal brain development and neural functioning. Stiffness, viscoelasticity and spatial organization of brain tissue modulate proliferation, migration, differentiation, and...

Nanostructure and microstructure fabrication: From desired properties to suitable processes

When designing a new nanostructure or microstructure, one can follow a processing-based manufacturing pathway, in which the structure properties are defined based on the processing capabilities of the fabrication method at hand. Alternatively, a performance-based pathway can be followed, where the envisioned performance is first defined, and...