Figure 2. Magnetic and soft scaffold preparation and human mesenchymal stem cells.

a) Carbon protected metal nanomagnets (transmission electron microscopy image) were covalently linked into a hydrogel (b, cryo-section) with high porosity (pore size ~ 10 µm) to facilitate cell attachment. c) Magnetic, soft, cell culture scaffold. The dog-bone shape minimizes the required magnetic force for soft deformation. d) Good adherence of human mesenchymal stem cells seeded on hydrogel surfaces (Calcein-AM staining).