The conference will bring together leading scientists from the fields of bioinspired materials engineering and molecular biology. The highly adaptive complexity of natural tissue remains a challenge, not only regarding the scientific understanding of the signaling pathways and the involved processes, but also for the bioinspired engineering and design of synthetic substitutes and novel active materials. Natural tissue consists of living cells and an extracellular matrix. Within this network, the activity of the cells is regulated by the topological

structure, the transmission of mechanical clues, and the exchange of molecular signals. Synthetic advances in the engineering of hydrogels have provided the means to replace the extracellular matrix or components thereof by artificial hydrogels. The micro and meso-structure as well as the mechanical properties of such hydrogels can be tailored to provide the ligands and signals required for hybridization with living cells and the direction of cell behavior in a controlled manner. Thereby, they offer the advantage of presenting a reduced complexity compared to the natural extracellular matrix and prevent undesired biological reactions intrinsic to the multi-functionality of natural components. Within this concept, bringing together the advanced knowledge on designing hierarchically structured hydrogels to understand and mimic the mechanical and chemical signals is a particulate challenge. In addition, mastering spatiodynamic behavior is crucial to design controlled adaptive

properties. Therefore, it is highly desired to combine advanced knowledge on the molecular cell signaling mechanisms on one side and synthetic skills, as well as physical understanding of the hydrogel properties on the other side.