Introduction
BIOSURF is a series of technical conferences devoted to the physical chemistry, materials & surface science as well as biological & medical aspects in the field of biomaterials, tissue engineering, biosensors and drug delivery.

Surfaces of nano and micro-particles, woven or foamed scaffolds and metal or polymeric bulk materials manifest strong effects on cell behaviour through modification of the bound surface protein layer and their intrinsic surface topography. Bioactivity (including cytocompatibility and biocompatibility) of these materials in one- to three-dimensional constructs is strongly influenced by their surface (bio)chemistry. New advances in stem cell biology and tissue engineering are leading to the development of cutting-edge approaches to repair and replace tissues (e.g., bone and cartilage). The use of nanoparticles both as an innovative therapeutic modality (e.g., as drug carriers for cancer drugs or growth factors) and in functional genomics and proteomics (e.g. for efficient transfection of cells) is of current interest in overcoming side effects associated with aggressive therapies.

BIOSURF VI is therefore specifically devoted to aspects of surface and interface science of materials used for sensing, drug delivery, tissue engineering and medical implants. The conference aims to highlight recent results in the science and clinical investigations from institutes worldwide working in this field, and to showcase valuable perspectives from industry. The collaboration between materials science, surface chemistry, immunology, molecular genetics, pharmaceutics, physics and clinical investigations is needed to create a platform for this field with a promising future.

Image: Fibroblasts interaction with microfabricated pyramids. The avoidance of the peaks by the cytoskeleton and cell main cell body can be seen. With permission from Osian Meredith, AO Research Institute, AO Foundation, Davos, Switzerland.