Book excerpt: Erik Wischerhoff, Nezha Badi, André Laschewsky and Jean-François Lutz Smart Polymer Surfaces: Concepts and Applications in Biosciences; S. Petersen, M. Gattermayer and M. Biesalski Hold on at the Right Spot: Bioactive Surfaces for the Design of Live-Cell Micropatterns; Julien Polleux Interfacing Cell Surface Receptors to Hybrid Nanopatterned Surfaces: A Molecular Approach for Dissecting the Adhesion Machinery; Abigail Pulsipher and Muhammad N. Yousaf Self-Assembled Monolayers as Dynamic Model Substrates for Cell Biology; D. Volodkin, A. Skirtach and H. Möhwald LbL Films as Reservoirs for Bioactive Molecules; R. Gentsch and H. G. Börner Designing Three-Dimensional Materials at the Interface to Biology; Joerg C. Tiller Antimicrobial Surfaces;