Designer Collagen Fibers for Tissue Engineering Applications
Purdue University researchers have incorporated metal binding sites into small collagen peptides and used metal-ligand interactions to drive aggregation. Self-assembly of 3D structures is spontaneous, highly reproducible, and reversible. Fine, nanoscale detail and ultimate control at the single molecular level give rise to tunable shapes, sizes, and tertiary structures. Physical properties, such as mechanical strength, tensile strength, and porosity, may be modified in a predetermined way, as the physical properties of collagen play a central role in cell growth and differentiation. Reversibility of collagen aggregates, whereby aggregates are converted back to smaller subunits, may be advantageous for controlled release of drugs, cells, growth factors, etc. With aggregate structures so diverse, including spheres, nanospheres, hollow spheres, meshes, cages, microflorettes, fibers, and sheets, these designer synthetic collagen aggregates find applications across the spectrum.
Control of 3D structure of collagen networksExcellent biocompatibility and bioactivity
BiotechnologyMaterials
Jean ChmielewskiChmielewski Research GroupPurdue Biomedical Engineering
United States
8,575,311
USA
