Cell and tissue culture has evolved from the use of simple glassware for the propagation of cells and tissues into a comprehensive platform for interrogating complex biological systems, directing cell fate, and deriving products with clinical and therapeutic value. However, despite significant advances, current in vitro culture approaches remain limited in their capacity to model the clinical/biological complexities of disease, in part at least, due to the deficiencies of existing culture materials. The challenge is therefore to identify innovative materials-based solutions that have greater control over cells in vitro, while better representing biological systems in vivo. Such platforms would be suitable for biomarker discovery and tissue engineering applications. This review examines the development of tissue culture materials, advances in our understanding of cell-surface interactions, and the application of this knowledge toward the development of new approaches for better examining biological events.
Keywords: cell response; extracellular matrix; surface chemistry; tissue culture; topology.