Understanding the mechanism of cell migration and interaction with the microenvironment is not only of critical significance to the function and biology of cells, but also has extreme relevance and impact on physiological processes and diseases such as morphogenesis, wound healing, neuron guidance, and cancer metastasis.

A hydrophobic/oleophilic surface when immersed in water can result in an oleophilic or “Cassie” state of oil-wetting.

Nanotechnology offers innovative tools for the design of biomimetic nanocarriers for targeted cancer therapy. These nano-systems present several advantages such as cargo’s protection and modulation of its release, inclusion of stimuli-responsive elements, and enhanced tumoral accumulation. All together, these nano-systems suffer low therapeutic efficacy in vivo because organisms can recognize and remove foreign nanomaterials. To overcome this important issue, different modifications on nanoparticle surfaces were exploited in order to reach the desired therapeutic efficacy eliciting, also, the response of immune system against cancer cells. For this reason, more recently, a new strategy involving cell membrane-covered nanoparticles for biomedical application has been attracting increasing attention. Membranes from red blood cells, platelets, leukocytes, tumor, and stem cells, have been exploited as biomimetic coatings of nanoparticles for evading clearance or stimulated immune system by maintaining in the same way their targeting capability. In this review, the use of different cell sources as coating of biomimetic nanocarriers for cancer therapy is discussed.

Osteosarcomas are highly malignant tumors, which develop rapid growth and local infiltration, inducing metastases that spread primarily in the lung. Treatment of these tumors is mainly based on pre- and post-operative chemotherapy and surgery of the primary tumor. Surgical resection though, generates bone defects. Reparation of these weaknesses presents formidable challenges to orthopedic surgery. Medicine regenerative grafts that act as both tumor therapy with constant local drug delivery and tissue regeneration may provide a new prospect to address this need. These implants can provide sustained drug release at the cancer area, decreasing systemic second effects such as inflammation, and a filling of the resected tissues with regenerative biomaterials. In this study microporous poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) scaffolds have been developed for sustained local release of anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone (DXM), used as drug model, in cancer medicine regenerative field. The microporous PCL matrix of the scaffolds supported the attachment, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of osteoblast-like cells, while the polyelectrolyte multilayers, anchored to the inner pore surfaces, sustained locally DXM release. These microporous scaffolds demonstrate the ability to deliver DXM as a localized tumor therapy and to promote proliferation and differentiation of osteoblast-like cells in vitro.

Surfaces with underwater superoleophobic efficacy and superhydrophobic/oleophilic property in air were created with ZnO nanostructures on PDMS microstructures.