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Exploring and exploiting chemistry at the cell surface

Nature Chemistry volume 3, pages 582–589 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

Engineering the surface chemistry of a material so that it can interface with cells is an extraordinarily demanding task. The surface of a cell is composed of thousands of different lipids, proteins and carbohydrates, all intricately (and dynamically) arranged in three dimensions on multiple length scales. This complexity presents both a challenge and an opportunity to chemists working on bioactive interfaces. Here we discuss how some of these challenges can be met with interdisciplinary material synthesis. We also review the most popular classes of functional molecules grafted on engineered surfaces and explore some alternatives that may offer greater flexibility and specificity. Finally, we discuss the emerging field of dynamic surfaces capable of stimulating and responding to cellular activity in real time.

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Figure 1: Representation of cell surface properties.
Figure 2: Interdisciplinary achievements and possibilities within chemistry for the development of bioactive surfaces.
Figure 3: Molecular diversity of cell adhesion motifs available for surface engineering.
Figure 4: Some of the pitfalls and possibilities associated with cellular microenvironment remodelling.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. Weaver for constructive reading of this manuscript. M.M.S. thanks ERC starting investigator grant “Naturale” for funding.

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  1. Royal School of Mines, Prince Consort Road, Imperial College, London, SW7 2AZ

    Morgan D. Mager, Vanessa LaPointe & Molly M. Stevens

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  1. Morgan D. Mager
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Correspondence to Molly M. Stevens.

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Mager, M., LaPointe, V. & Stevens, M. Exploring and exploiting chemistry at the cell surface. Nature Chem 3, 582–589 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1090

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