The present invention provides a series of methods, compositions, and articles for altering a property of a surface (for example, the cytophilicity and / or the hydrophilicity), by exposing at least a portion of the surface to a non-chemical, force-creating field and / or force, such as an
electric field. The field / force may be created by any suitable technique. For instance, the field can be created by applying a
voltage across the surface, by electrical induction, etc. In certain embodiments, the surface includes molecules attached thereto that can be detached when exposed to non-chemical, force-creating fields and / or forces, thereby altering the
chemical composition of at least a portion of the surface. In one set of embodiments, the molecules attached to the surface may include molecules forming a self-assembled
monolayer on the surface. In some embodiments, the molecules attached to the surface may include
thiol moieties (e.g., as in an alkanethiol), by which the molecule can become attached to the surface. In certain cases, the molecules may be terminated at the unattached end with one or more hydrophilic groups, for example, unmodified
ethylene glycol moieties. In some cases, the molecules attached to the surface may include one or more moieties that can bind to various entities such as proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, drugs, cells, etc. In certain embodiments, the techniques are used to enable novel assays for
cell motility and / or spreading and screening tests for determining drugs and / or treatments effective in increasing or decreasing
cell shape changes and / or
motility on surfaces.