Surface modification to control biological responses

Various medical devices made of artificial materials, such as artificial organs and catheters for interventional therapy, have been used. In the recent 10 years, collaboration of stem cell science and tissue engineering opened a new phase in medical treatments, that is, regenerative medicine. Cell-artificial material and cell-cell interaction determine fates of medical devices and regenerated living tissue. Knowledge obtained from studies on interactions between cells and model surfaces made of self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols is reviewed in this article. New methods to modify the cell surface are also introduced.