Several challenges currently exist for rational design of functional tissue engineering constructs within the host, which include appropriate cellular integration, avoidance of bacterial infections, and low inflammatory stimulation. This work describes a novel class of biodegradable, amphiphilic polyanhydrides with many desirable protein-material and cell-material attributes capable of confronting these challenges. The biocompatible amphiphilic polymer films were shown to release laminin in a stable and controlled manner, promote neural cell adhesion and differentiation, and evade inflammatory responses of the immune system. Using high-throughput approaches, it was shown that polymer chemistry plays an integral role in controlling cell-film interactions, which suggests that these polyanhydrides can be tailored to achieve the desired cell adhesion and differentiation while minimizing immune recognition. These findings have important implications for development of engineered constructs to regulate differentiation and target the growth of transplanted cells in stem cell-based therapies to treat nervous system disorders.