Understanding the mechanisms underlying cell response to cues from their biomaterial microenvironment will ultimately lead to improved methods to control cell behavior in tissue replacement therapies.
Whereas many methods have been established for characterizing cellular behavior and physical properties of biomaterial scaffolds, few methods exist for quantitatively mapping the fluctuations of soluble cues that impact cellular function. Our current work focuses on developing novel microscale technologies for sensing spatial and temporal changes in oxygen content during 3D culture.