Drug-Free Polymer Chemotherapy Using Cell-Material Interaction

Cell-material interactions influence cellular functions and cellular fate. Therefore, the cell-material interactions have a potential to use not only for drug delivery but also as working mechanisms for cancer therapy. Generally, cells were surrounded by other cells, extracellular matrix, and stroma in vivo. Communication with the surrounding environment was an important process for the cells to perform the function of the tissues. In the same way, the cellular function and fate of cancer cells are also affected by interaction with the surrounding environments. Therefore, controlling the interaction with the surrounding environment and designed materials have a potential for cancer therapy by controlling the cellular functions of cancer tumor. Recently, drug-free therapeutic approaches using cell-material interaction were actively investigated as a new strategy for cancer therapy. In this chapter, we discussed the novel approaches of drug-free polymer chemotherapies using cell-material interactions and the design of the materials for them.