Table 2.

Summary of soft-lithographic constructs used to recreate the micro and nano spatial cues of the stem cell niche.

Application	Polymer	Outcome	Ref
Study MSC fate and neurosphere formation.	PDMS mold cast on PEG hydrogel.	96-well plate structure. Each well is composed of 33 × 33 microwells of 100 µm diameter.	[78]
Observe retinal progenitor cell behavior.	PDMS mold cast on PLGA 75:25 substrate.	Microchannels of 15 µm diameter and 40 µm height.	[80]
Assess the effects of ridges and grooves on hMSCs differentiation and proliferation.	PDMS stamp cast on NOA81 polyurethane	Microgrooves of 300 nm in depth and 400, 1400, or 4000 nm pitch.	[89]
Study keratinocyte stem cell niches of the dermal-epidermal junction	Collagen type I pour on PDMS mold. Collagen was then conjugated with fibronectin	Multilayer constructs with a series of 200 µm deep channels with variable widths of 50, 100, 200, and 400 µm.	[90]
Analyze the response of hHSC and progenitor cells to specific spatial and biochemical cues.	PDMS stamp cast on starPEG–heparin hydrogels.	Grooves, rings, and cubes from 2–500 µm.	[69]
Create a bilayered hydrogel dressing to induce revascularization and re-epithelialization.	Platinum-catalyzed PDMS cast on gelatin hydrogels.	SharkletTM micropatterns of 1 µm H–10 µm W and 10 µm H–50 µm H.	[91]
Study the effects of nanotopograhical cues on hMSCs osteogenesis.	UV curable polyurethane acrylate coated with gelatin.	Nanoscale dots of 150, 400, and 600 nm diameter and lines of 150, 400, and 600 nm width.	[92]
Create dermal-epidermal regeneration matrices with microfeatures to mimic the DEJ and to study their effect on basal keratinocyte functions.	PDMS mold on stamped on collagen I—GAG gel, conjugated with fibronectin.	Micro channels with a depth of 200 µm and widths of 50, 100, 200, and 400 µm.	[93]
Investigate the effects of micro spatial cues on adipose-derived stem cells differentiation.	PDMS molds on a collagen—silk fibroin substrate.	Microchannel and micropillar patterns of 10 µm and 8 µm respectively.	[94]
To culture neonatal human fibroblasts (NHFs) to study the dermal papillae.	PDMS mold cast on Gelatin-chondroitin-6-sulfate-hyaluronic acid substrate.	Undulated microtopographies that range from 150–450 µm height and 364–1062 µm width.	[95]
Characterize the effects of topographical cues on primary human keratinocytes.	PDMS patterns coated with collagen type I.	Patterned substrates with undulations that range from 100 to 300 µm.	[96]
Study the effects of surface treatment and microgrooves on rat dermal fibroblasts.	PDMS molds treated with UV, RFGD, or a combination of both.	Square grooved surface with features of 2, 5, or 10 µm width and 0.5 µm depth.	[97]
Study the effect of surface topography on abdomen fibroblasts.	PDMS mold.	Square wells with micro topographical cues of 2, 5, or 10 µm.	[83]