Extracellular matrix viscoelasticity and its impact on cells

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex assembly of structural proteins that provides physical support and biochemical signaling to cells in tissues. Over the last two decades, studies have revealed the important role that ECM elasticity plays in regulating a variety of biological processes in cells, including stem cell differentiation and cancer progression. However, tissues and ECMs are often viscoelastic, displaying stress relaxation over time in response to a deformation. Using hydrogels with tunable viscoelasticity for 3D cell culture, we have found that matrix viscoelasticity regulates the morphogenesis of pluripotent stem cells, cell migration, and cell division.