Controlling cellular function by structured environments: Artificial angiogenesis
Angiogenesis, the outgrowth and organization of new blood vessels, is extremely important for tissue morphogenesis or tumor growth. The mechanical aspects of this process are still widely unclear. In the previous funding periods we have extensively used confined environments to investigate mechano-induced signalling pathways and cellular behaviour in endothelial cells, and various hydrogels to study cell-cell signalling via matrix deformation. Additionally, we developed surface chemistry which allows for time resolved photo-switching of cellular environments. In the current funding period we want to further pursue and refine these approaches and use them to address the following objectives:
- Are we able to study tip cell differentiation in a time resolved manner?
- How is collective cell migration influenced by complex parameters (e.g. substrate stiffness, cell-cell contacts)?
- How do cells and cell collectives respond to nanostructured 3D environments?