Light-Responsive Biomaterials: Development and Applications

Novel biomaterials are beneficial to the growing fields of drug delivery, cell biology, microdevices, and tissue engineering. With recent advances in chemistry and materials science, light is becoming an attractive option as a method to control biomaterial behavior and properties. In this Feature Article, we explore some of the early and recent advances in the design of light-responsive biomaterials. Particular attention is paid to macromolecular assemblies for drug delivery, multi-component surface patterning for advanced cell assays, and polymer networks that undergo chemical or shape changes upon light exposure. We conclude with some remarks about future directions of the field.