Geometry–Force Control of Stem Cell Fate

Tissue engineering requires tight control of stem cell function. Among many physical signals such as stretch and perfusion, geometrical cues have received much attention and have widely been recognized as an important factor in scaffold design. Here we review a variety of approaches that control stem cell fate at different levels of strictness, including micro-contact printing, microwells, direct cell printing, grooves, aligned micro-/nano-fibers, nanotubes, nanodots, hydrogel shape, and porous structure of scaffolds. Mechanical forces and signal transductions are discussed for cell shape regulated stem cell fate. Although many questions have yet to be resolved, geometry–force control is becoming an effective approach for the regulation of stem cell renewal and differentiation.