Though contact guidance has been known since the very early days of ce
ll culture very little quantitative examination of the reaction of cel
ls to topography has been made, Exceptions to this subjective approach
are given prominence below. Yet if we are to understand how cells rea
ct and if we are to be able to design ideal substrata for particular c
ells we need this information, Precision and quantitation are required
both of the methods of examination of the cells but also in the defin
ition of that topography. Recently it has become clear that the these
reactions occur at the nanometric scale and have importance for use in
cellular engineering and tissue repair. Topography appears to provide
a set of very powerful signals for cells.