ABSTRACT
Stem cells, possessing the unique abilities of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation, have been widely explored as versatile cell source for numerous biomedical applications. In regenerative medicine, they are utilized to promote the repair of diseased, dysfunctional, or injured tissue. As evident from the results of various studies, the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells are directly influenced by the physicochemical properties of the surrounding microenvironment and the signaling mechanisms needed for different cellular activities. The development of nanostructured biomaterials with different dimensionalities (0-D, 1D, and 2D) is considered a real breakthrough in stem cell research. Based on their physiochemical nature and synthesis route, these nanomaterials can provide excellent size control, high surface-to-volume ratio, tunable surface chemistry, topography, conductivity, and biocompatibility. This chapter focuses on understanding the critical interactions of stem cells with biomaterials at a nanoscale. By taking examples from the latest interdisciplinary research that integrates regenerative medicine and material science, this chapter provides crosstalk on how the nanomaterial interaction can be exploited to develop state-of-the-art stem cell-based platforms for tissue regenerative application. Additionally, the current state-of-the-art in nanomaterial-based imaging (labeling/tracking) of stem cells has also been covered. Overall, this chapter aims to provide valued insights to the readers regarding the prospective applications, implementation strategies, and existing challenges that can facilitate improvements in nanomaterial design for novel stem cell-based biomedical applications.
