ABSTRACT
Recent advancements in micromanufacturing/nanomanufacturing processes have enabled the use of wire (hereafter called fiber)-based substrates for interrogating mechanobiology at single cell resolution. These circular cross-sectional, high aspect-ratio materials provide a unique approach in investigating cell-substrate interactions, which offer a closer semblance to interactions that may occur in the native cellular niche. Spatially conning a cell to a ber causes it to simultaneously sense and respond to curvature and stiffness (i.e., structural and material properties), initiating changes to multiple critical cell behaviors including focal adhesion organization, cytoskeletal conguration, migration, and eventual fate. Here we provide an overview of recent developments in the design, fabrication, and use of brous scaffolds and structures and their contribution toward advancing our understanding of cellular mechanics with applications in tissue engineering and single cell disease models.
