Engineered systems to study the synergistic signaling between integrin-mediated mechanotransduction and growth factors (Review).

While tremendous leaps in knowledge into cellular signaling and control have been achieved over the last few decades, there is still more to learn in how different signaling pathways act synergistically. A better understanding and control of cells in vitro and in vivo is important to enable more successful and safe applications of tissue engineering and stem cell therapy. This review is focused on two central ways cells sense their surroundings, namely, integrin-mediated mechanotransduction and growth factor signaling. Specifically, the authors explore how engineered interfaces have been applied to learn more about these processes, and how these important signaling pathways interact synergistically.