A practical guide to promote informatics-driven efficient biotopographic material development

Micro/nano topographic structures have shown great utility in many biomedical areas including cell therapies, tissue engineering, and implantable devices. Computer-assisted informatics methods hold great promise for the design of topographic structures with targeted properties for a specific medical application. To benefit from these methods, researchers and engineers require a highly reusable one structural parameter - one set of cell responses database. However, existing confounding factors in topographic cell culture devices seriously impede the acquisition of this kind of data. Through carefully dissecting the confounding factors and their possible reasons for emergence, we developed corresponding guideline requirements for topographic cell culture device development to remove or control the influence of such factors. Based on these requirements, we then suggested potential strategies to meet them. In this work, we also experimentally demonstrated a topographic cell culture device with controlled confounding factors based on these guideline requirements and corresponding strategies. A guideline for the development of topographic cell culture devices was summarized to instruct researchers to develop topographic cell culture devices with the confounding factors removed or well controlled. This guideline aims to promote the establishment of a highly reusable one structural parameter - one set of cell responses database that could facilitate the application of informatics methods, such as artificial intelligence, in the rational design of future biotopographic structures with high efficacy.

Automated summary

Micro/nano topographic structures have various applications in biomedical field, and computer-assisted informatics methods can assist with the design of topographic structures. This study provides guideline requirements and potential strategies for the development of topographic cell culture devices. An experiment also demonstrates a device that can control confounding factors. The guideline aims to establish a reusable database for structural parameters and cell responses to facilitate the application of informatics methods in designing efficient biotopographic structures.