Reversible switching of 3D microenvironments in extracellular matrices and effects on collagen fibers and cell morphology

The local three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment of a cell is known to affect it during various processes such as tissue morphogenesis, wound healing and cancer progression. [1, 2] However, the structural properties of the 3D microenvironment's extracellular matrix (ECM) does not usually change after the initial properties are set. [3–5] This abstract summarizes a method to dynamically and reversibly modify 3D ECM structure that alters its properties such as solute transport rate, cell spreading and mobility. [6]