Topographical and physicochemical modification of material surface to enable patterning of living cells

Precise control of the architecture of multiple cells in culture and in viv o via precise engineering of the material surface properties is described a s cell patterning. Substrate patterning by control of the surface physicoch emical and topographic features enables selective localization and phenotyp ic and genotypic control of living cells. In culture, control over spatial and temporal dynamics of cells and heterotypic interactions draws inspirati on from in vivo embryogenesis and haptotaxis. Patterned arrays of single or multiple cell types in culture serve as model systems for exploration of c ell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. More recently, the patterned arrays and assemblies of tissues have found practical applications in the fields o f Biosensors and cell-based assays for Drug Discovery. Although the field o f cell patterning has its origins early in this century, an improved unders tanding of cell-substrate interactions and the use of microfabrication tech niques borrowed from the microelectronics industry have enabled significant recent progress. This review presents the important early discoveries and emphasizes results of recent state-of-the-art cell patterning methods. The review concludes by illustrating the growing impact of cell patterning in t he areas of bioelectronic devices and cell-based assays for drug discovery.