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Nature Nanotechnology 4, 342–343 (1 June 2009) | doi:10.1038/nnano.2009.136

Toxicology: Testing in the third dimension

Molly M. Stevens

Cells reside in a three-dimensional (3D) environment in the body and they are sensitive to nanoscale topographical and chemical alterations. The varied landscape of ridges, posts and grooves in the extracellular matrix influences whether a cell will grow or die.