Publications by authors named "Alexander J Steeves"

As cell therapies emerged, it was quickly realized that pro-regenerative cells directly injected into injured tissue struggled within the inflammatory microenvironment. By using microencapsulation, i.e.

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Introduction: In recent years there has been ample interest in nanoscale modifications of synthetic biomaterials to understand fundamental aspects of cell-surface interactions towards improved biological outcomes. In this study, we aimed at closing in on the effects of nanotubular TiO surfaces with variable nanotopography on the response on human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Although the influence of TiO nanotubes on the cellular response, and in particular on hMSC activity, has already been addressed in the past, previous studies overlooked critical morphological, structural and physical aspects that go beyond the simple nanotube diameter, such as spatial statistics.

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Deposition of mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA) has rapidly emerged as a simple yet effective strategy to functionalize the surface of biomaterials. The experimental simplicity of the deposition process, combined with native bioactivity and bioadhesive properties, make PDA an attractive solution for biomedical applications, ranging from functional biomaterials for tissue engineering to antibacterial surfaces. Unveiling the interplay among deposition parameters, physicochemical properties of the resulting structures and their functions, is a fundamental aspect to unlock a more sophisticated knowledge of PDA biofunctionalization and its role in controlling key biological events, such as stem cell response.

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Functional polymeric coatings have rapidly become one of the most efficient strategies to endow biomaterials with enhanced bioactive properties. Among the bio-inspired polymers used for biomedical applications, mussel-derived poly(dopamine) (PDA) has increasingly attracted considerable interest because of its unique characteristics. In this work, we carried out detailed physicochemical characterization of a PDA film deposited on nanoporous titanium.

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