Nanostructures for Stem Cell Engineering

Biomaterials incorporating inorganic components such as bone and dental replacements have proven to be mechanically stable and, in addition, exhibit unique physicochemical properties that can modulate biological pathways such as the blood clotting cascade and stem cell differentiations. Synthetic organic nanostructures such as liposome and micelles, on the other hand, have great utility as multifunctional theranostic, bioimaging, and delivery systems that can be mass-produced in a reproducible manner. Various dynamic cellular-level processes such as cell mobility and biosynthesis often work in concert with the immediate surroundings and associated biological pathways that are essentially hierarchical systems and the stem cell self-renewal and differentiation processes are no exception. Thus, it will be ideal to construct hierarchically structured nanomaterials that incorporate modular organic components for stem cell engineering. In an attempt to facilitate the hybrid materials’ development, two different classes of synthetic materials that show different bioactivities towards human neural stem cells (hNSCs) will be discussed. Engineered peptide amphiphiles (PAs) that self-assemble into fibrous micellar (high-aspect ratio) structures show a spectrum of responses from hNSCs based on concentration and surface engineering properties while nanostructured inorganic particles and extended surfaces do not. Physicochemical and biological characterization of both platforms of biomaterials will be presented interfaced to hNSCs and their potential utility in biomedical applications will be further discussed.