Invited Paper SM+AS+BI+PS-ThM10
Tailoring Biomaterials-cell Interaction through Reactive Surface Modification

Thursday, October 22, 2015, 11:00 am, Room 211D

The immobilization of biologically active species is crucial for the fabrication of smart bioactive surfaces. For this purpose, plasma polymerization is frequently used to modify the surface nature without affecting the bulk properties of the material. Thus, it is possible to create materials with surface functional groups that can promote the anchoring of all kinds of biomolecules. Different methodologies in protein immobilization have been developed in recent years, although some drawbacks are still not solved, such as the difficulties that some procedures involve and/or the denaturalization of the protein due to the immobilization process. However, along with the chemical signals, the mechanical forces are critical for many tissues, since they are constantly suffering tension, shear, loading, etc. Essentially, the cell signaling exerted by forces is transduced through receptors that are in intimate contact with the matrix. Therefore, the main consequence of this receptor-matrix interaction is that cells and matrix are mechanically coupled, so that matrix deformation is considered the main cause of the mechanical signaling. By mimicking these mechanical forces in the surface of a material, it would be possible to obtain more physiological environments and thus a more physiological cell response. Again, the use of plasma polymerization techniques can help to design surfaces that can be tailored in terms of mechanical properties and chemical compositions and thus have a high potential for cells signaling.

This paper reports the work that we have developed in the last 10 years in the design, synthesis and characterization of thin films that can be a platform for studying the interaction between cells and separate influences of physical and chemical cues of a matrix on the adhesion, growth and final phenotype of cells.