Characterization tools for mechanical probing of biomimetic materials

The possibility to fully heal damaged or failing tissues and organs is one of the major challenges of modern medicine. Several approaches have been proposed, either using tissue engineered functional substitutes or inducing the body to self-repair, exploiting its innate regenerative potential. In any case, a crucial step for the success of therapy is provided by the design of a suitable scaffold, capable to sustain cellular growth and induce the differentiation towards the lineage of interest. A growing body of evidence suggests that the most affordable way to design an effective scaffold is to exploit a biomimetic approach, trying to emulate the characteristics of the natural environment. Moreover, it has been pointed out that not only the chemical nature of the material is relevant to this process but also its physical and, in particular, mechanical properties. Mapping the elasticity of a living tissue is becoming more and more relevant in the rational design of next generation biomimetic scaffolds, and the exploitation of advanced tools is required to achieve sub-?m resolution, comparable to the length scale probed by a single living cell.