Regenerative medicine aims to repair and replace lost or damaged tissues by initiating the natural regeneration process. Current paradigms in tissue engineering often involve the combination of mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells and the synthesis of novel biomaterials, tailoring physical, chemical and structural properties to mimic crucial aspects of the physiological niche

In native bone, synergistic interactions between osteoblasts/osteogenic precursors and endothelial cells enable coordinated development of vasculature and mineralized tissue. In the process of intramembranous ossification during craniofacial bone growth, this cell coupling results in close spatial relationships between the two tissues in newly forming bone, with the vascular network serving as a ‘template’ for bone mineral deposition [1]. A synergy between the two cell populations has also been observed during endochondral ossification.

Osteoporosis and other bone-related disorders represent a major public health threat. One out of every two women and one in four men, aged 50 or older, is expected to develop an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime [1], [2], [3]. There is a huge demand for products enhancing bone regeneration. Therefore, the last decade was denominated the bone and joint decade by the World Health Authority.

Diverse structures, such as the skeletal elements of the limb, rugae of the palate, cartilaginous rings of the trachea, intestinal villi, and feathers, scales, or hair follicles, develop in a periodically patterned manner. Although many specific models to explain the spontaneous emergence of such repeating patterns in embryonic tissues have been proposed [1], these can be grouped into 2 general classes (Fig 1A). The first class, based on the Turing reaction–diffusion system, relies on the operation of 2 opposing signalling processes: an activator, which is self-enhancing and has a limited spatial range, coupled with the production of an inhibitor with a greater spatial range.

Epithelial cells lining the intestinal tract serve important and evolutionarily conserved functions in animal physiology. The intestinal epithelium is the primary site for absorption and metabolism of diverse dietary nutrients and xenobiotics, relays metabolic and immunological signals to the rest of the body, and provides a critical barrier to microorganisms that reside within the intestinal lumen

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have a characteristic identification in metastasis. In order to monitor, diagnose, and analyze early-stage non-hematologic cancers, these rare cells must be separated from the whole blood with high efficiency. Thus, a microfluidic chip coated with E-selectin and microscopic inclined three-dimensional groove and wave patterns, which increases the probability of cell contact and separates the leukocytes and CTCs even further, is created.

Early mammalian development is a fascinating example of how deterministic spatiotemporal patterns emerge at the level of cell populations from highly stochastic regulatory components. During mouse preimplantation development, sequential lineage decisions take place, and these decisions are marked by the expression of lineage-determining transcription factors.