enhance the desired response.[2] As a better understanding of the principles involved is

obtained, more subtle influences on the control of contact guidance can be examined.

 The objective of this study was to study the effect of modulus as well as surface

texture dimensions on vascular endothelial cells (ECs). ECs are important regulators of

homeostasis in the human body, and a crucial component of the cardiovascular system.

Diseases of this system currently contribute to more deaths than any other disease or

cause. By controlling the alignment and growth patterns of these cells and their tissues,

improvement of medical devices such as vascular grafts is possible. Modulus has been

shown to play an important role in adhesion of biofilms on substrates in marine

environments,[4, 5] and coupling the effects of modulus with topographical features is

another important step in designing the behavior of materials.

 The specific aims of this project involved the study of endothelial cells grown on

microtextured silicone elastomers. Specifically, the effect of modulus was hypothesized

to increase the effect of contact guidance as the modulus increased. This hypothesis was

based on the observations of Kendall and others that modulus played an important role in

the adhesion ofbiofilms on elastomer surfaces. These theories will be discussed in detail

in the following chapters. To truly understand the system, another specific aim was to

determine the importance of feature dimensions on this system. The hypothesis to be

tested was that the depth of grooves in a surface played a more important role than the

spacing between the grooves, and that a deeper groove increased the contact guidance of

an EC on silicone. When the groove depth remained constant, the hypothesis being

tested was that the grooves spaced closer together would improve the cells ability to

direct cell growth. The importance of groove depth and spacing has been proven before