Broad clinical translation of human pluripotent stem cells to regenerate and repair tissues
requires robust and predictable methods to expand the cells and direct their differentiation to
functional cell types. Current expansion and differentiation methods focus on biochemical regulation,
but manipulation of the stem cell biophysical microenvironment represents a largely
untapped means to efficiently and robustly engineer stem cells for regenerative medicine and
tissue engineering applications. In this concise review, we summarize the evidence that stem
cell fate and function is mechanoresponsive and suggest directions to move the field closer to
clinical benefit.