Biomimetics: Sulfated Alginate as a Mimic of Sulfated Glycosaminoglycans: Binding of Growth Factors and Effect on Stem Cell Behavior (Adv. Biosys. 7/2017)

Increased sulfation of biomaterials such as alginate increases binding of growth factors, mimicking the effect of natural sulfated glycosaminoglycans. In article number 1700043, Rami Mhanna, Iva Pashkuleva, and co-workers demonstrate that incorporating these sulfated materials in engineered layer-by-layer structures enables precise control of growth factor adsorption and subsequent stem cell fate. Alginate sulfatebased films and scaffolds can be further used for mechanistic basic science and applied tissue engineering investigations. The authors thank Diana El Hajj for preparing the cover image.