Micropatterned fibrous scaffolds for biomedical application

Micropatterning of biomolecules is the technique that position the biomolecules into specific microdomains by combining surface modification and microfabrication techniques. There have been numerous studies on cell and protein micropatterning owing to their potential applications to high-throughput bioassay, tissue engineering as well as cell biology and proteomics, most of which were prepared on two-dimensional (2D) flat substrates. The limitation of 2D substrates enabled the use of nanoarchitectures as a new platform for cell and protein micropatterns. Among the various nanoarchitectures, electrospun nanofibers have emerged as a popular substrate for cell and proteins because they have large surface areas and porosity, which mimics extracellular matrix structures. This review introduces several fabrication methods that are employed to generate micropatterned nanofibers, including the use of patterned collectors, near-field electrospinning (NFES), soft lithography and photolithography. In addition, we elaborate the application of micropatterned nanofibers for cell adhesion, drug release, cell differentiation, and spheroid formation.