Cell shape and substrate rigidity play critical roles in regulating cell behaviors and fate. Controlling cell shape on elastic adhesive materials holds great promise for creating a physiologically relevant culture environment for basic and translational research and clinical applications. However, it has been technically challenging to create high-quality adhesive patterns on compliant substrates. We have developed an efficient and economical method to create precise micron-scaled adhesive patterns on the surface of a hydrogel (Rape et al., Biomaterials 32:2043–2051, 2011). This method will facilitate the research on traction force generation, cellular mechanotransduction, and tissue engineering, where precise controls of both materials rigidity and adhesive patterns are important.
