About this Research Topic
Biomaterials have been used to engineer biological substitutes for organs/tissues, which can be applied in regenerative medicine, pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and basic research to elucidate fundamental concepts of human biology, identify mechanisms involved in disease onset and progression, and facilitate drug discovery. The complex cellular environment in which cells are organized in vivo consists of interactions between different cell types and between cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM), the composition of which varies as a function of the tissue, the degree of maturation, and health conditions. In this regard, biomaterials can be designed to engineer tissues via modulating cell-ECM interaction. More recently, biomaterials have also been fabricated to present motifs that are important for mediating cell-cell interactions.
This Research Topic aims to gather contributions (including Original Research, Reviews, and Mini Reviews) describing the development of biomaterials designed to support the construction of engineered tissues/organs via recapitulating the components found within the cellular micro- and macro-environment. Submissions covering the following topics are welcome:
• Biomaterials mimicking cell-ECM interaction present in the cell microenvironment
• Functionalized biomaterials containing motifs that mediate cell-cell interactions
• Control of cell-cell and/or cell-ECM interactions for engineering 3D tissue/organ
This Research Topic aims to gather contributions (including Original Research, Reviews, and Mini Reviews) describing the development of biomaterials designed to support the construction of engineered tissues/organs via recapitulating the components found within the cellular micro- and macro-environment. Submissions covering the following topics are welcome:
• Biomaterials mimicking cell-ECM interaction present in the cell microenvironment
• Functionalized biomaterials containing motifs that mediate cell-cell interactions
• Control of cell-cell and/or cell-ECM interactions for engineering 3D tissue/organ
Keywords: Biomaterial, Cell-Extracellular Matrix Interaction, Hydrogel, Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
