Functional Materials for Cellular Surface Modification and its Progress in Biomedical Application

Abstract

Modification of the cellular membrane with biomaterials has become an important technique for cell protection, cell manipulation and cell fusion, which can contribute to the progress of biomedical fields. In transplantation therapy, cell protection can be achieved by cell surface coating with biocompatible polymers together with regulators, leading to local immune control and improving the graft survival. Cell manipulation has attracted the attention for delivery of therapeutic cells in regenerative therapy. The cell coating with synthetic ligangs can enhance the efficiency of cell–cell interaction and localization at diseased area, which can improve the therapeutic effect. Fusing different cells to form new functional cells is an old technique, however, the efficiency is quite low. The cell surface modification can improve the cell fusion efficiency through inducing selective cell–cell attachment, which could be useful for producing new functional cells. Here I review the significance of polymer–based cell surface engineering for biomedical applications.