Magnetic Alignment of Electrospun Fiber Segments Within a Hydrogel Composite Guides Cell Spreading and Migration Phenotype Switching.

Fibrous extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins provide mechanical structure and adhesive scaffolding to resident cells within stromal tissues. Aligned ECM fibers play an important role in directing morphogenetic processes, supporting mechanical loads, and facilitating cell migration. Various methods have been developed to align matrix fibers in purified biopolymer hydrogels, such as type I collagen, including flow-induced alignment, uniaxial tensile deformation, and magnetic particles.