Application of periodic loads on cells from magnetic micropillar arrays impedes cellular migration

This paper presents a study on the application of active micropillar surfaces to control cell migration. We present experimental results on the migration of confluent sheets of cells subject to periodic mechanical forces from actuated magnetic polymer micropillars. We show that in contrast to passive micropillar surfaces which cause no significant alterations in cell migration rates, active micropillar surfaces actuated at a frequency of 1 Hz can decrease cell migration rates by 80%. The magnetic micropillar structures presented can be actuated remotely with small magnetic fields making them a viable candidate for the development of smart materials for in vivo tissue engineering applications.