Active Manipulation of ECM Stiffness

The mechanical properties of the microstructures surrounding cells influence the behavior of cells in differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, etc. The stiffness of the extra-cellular microenvironment has been shown to be one such mechanical property [1][2]. Studies reported in the literature concerning the stiffness of the extracellular microenvironment mainly sought to understand the scientific principles and mechanisms underlying its effect on cell-environment interaction [3]. This paper describes an approach that achieves such manipulation, and reports experimental results that demonstrate the effectiveness of this proposed approach.