Biointerfaces for Next-Generation Biomedical Applications
Biointerfaces represent the definitive frontier at the intersection of advanced materials, biomedical engineering, and living systems, where molecular recognition, cellular signaling, immune regulation, and therapeutic function are dynamically governed. Far beyond passive biocompatibility, next-generation biointerfaces are engineered as adaptive, responsive, and biologically instructive platforms that direct cell fate, modulate immune phenotypes, enable spatiotemporally controlled delivery, and mediate mechanochemical coupling at material–biology junctions. These interfaces underpin the performance of medical devices, biomedical implants, diagnostic systems, drug delivery platforms, microphysiological systems, and 3D bioprinting constructs, with function dictated by precise control over interfacial chemistry, topography, and dynamic signaling. Bioink-based programmable biointerfaces further expand this landscape by enabling user-defined, spatially patterned control over cellular microenvironments for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This Collection in Biointerphases highlights transformative interdisciplinary advances driving the rational design of next-generation biointerfaces, covering biomimetic matrix interfaces, mechanobiological coupling, immune-modulating materials, stimulus-responsive and self-healing coatings, controlled delivery systems, organ-on-chip fluid–tissue interfaces, and AI/ML-driven prediction and optimization of interfacial interactions. By integrating materials science, chemistry, biology, and computation, this Collection aims to define state-of-the-art progress and accelerate the translation of biointerface science into clinical impact.
Topics covered include, but are not limited to:
- The design of material interfaces mimicking extracellular matrix properties
- The role of fluid-tissue interfaces in chip systems
- Standardized interfaces for high-throughput drug screening
- Research on mechano-biological coupling at interfaces
- The influence of material surface properties on macrophage polarization and inflammatory responses
- Nano-interfaces for modulating immune reactions
- Interface design for vaccine delivery systems; immune-compatible coatings
- Spatiotemporally controlled drug release interfaces
- Dynamic matrices for programming cell behavior
- Self-healing bio-coatings
- Stimulus-responsive interfaces for biosensing
- AI-predicted material-biomolecule interactions
- Machine learning-assisted design of anti-fouling or cell-adhesive surfaces
- Data-driven design of biomimetic interfaces.
Editor
Kefeng Ren, Zhejiang University
Jun Ren, Dalian University of Technology