Abstract
Engineering cell surfaces with natural or synthetic materials is a unique and powerful strategy for biomedical applications. Cells exhibit more sophisticated migration, control, and functional capabilities compared to nanoparticles, scaffolds, viruses, and other engineered materials or agents commonly used in the biomedical field. Over the past decade, modification of cell surfaces with natural or synthetic materials has been studied to exploit this complexity for both fundamental and translational goals. In this review we present the existing biomedical technologies for engineering cell surfaces with one important class of materials, polyelectrolytes. We begin by introducing the challenges facing the cell surface engineering field. We then discuss the features of polyelectrolytes and how these properties can be harnessed to solve challenges in cell therapy, tissue engineering, cell-based drug delivery, sensing and tracking, and immune modulation. Throughout the review, we highlight opportunities to drive the field forward by bridging new knowledge of polyelectrolytes with existing translational challenges.
Highlights
The term “cell surface engineering” refers to the modification of cell surfaces with synthetic or natural materials to modulate cell function
The purpose of this review is to describe how polyelectrolyte materials can be used in cell surface engineering to address some of the clinical challenges in translational ideas from the benchtop to the clinic
Polyelectrolytes are materials that contain a high level of ionizable groups along a polymeric backbone
Summary
The term “cell surface engineering” refers to the modification of cell surfaces with synthetic or natural materials to modulate cell function. The purpose of this review is to describe how polyelectrolyte materials can be used in cell surface engineering to address some of the clinical challenges in translational ideas from the benchtop to the clinic. We begin with a brief background on cell surface engineering, along with highlights of the current clinical opportunities. We introduce polyelectrolytes and present current and future opportunities for this class of materials to be exploited in overcoming challenges in the biomedical field by pushing the forefront of cell surface engineering
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