Collagen Assembly
Collagen Assembly - Related Videos
07:25
Collagen Hydrogels
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2023
Collagen is another widely used biomaterial that has found popularity in commercial applications, such as photography. Collagen has more recently been used in tissue engineering applications, by creating hydrogels that provide structure to engineered tissue. This video introduces collagen as a biomaterial, demonstrates how it is harvested from porcine skin, and shows how the material is used to create a hydrogel for tissue engineering applications. Finally, several applications of the material...
13:05
Micropatterning and Assembly of 3D Microvessels
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Cited by 12 •
2016
This manuscript presents an injection molding method to engineer microvessels that recapitulate physiological properties of endothelium. The microfluidic-based process creates patent 3D vascular networks with tailorable conditions, such as flow, cellular composition, geometry, and biochemical gradients. The fabrication process and examples of potential applications are described.
09:56
Layer-by-layer Collagen Deposition in Microfluidic Devices for Microtissue Stabilization
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Cited by 7 •
2015
The creation of functional microtissues within microfluidic devices requires the stabilization of cell phenotypes by adapting traditional cell culture techniques to the limited spatial dimensions in microdevices. Modification of collagen allows the layer-by-layer deposition of ultrathin collagen assemblies that can stabilize primary cells, such as hepatocytes, as microfluidic tissue models.
11:36
Assembly, Loading, and Alignment of an Analytical Ultracentrifuge Sample Cell
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Cited by 21 •
2009
The analytical ultracentrifuge (AUC) sample cell holds sample and reference buffer and during experiments and is exposed to high vacuum and rotor speeds up to 60,000 rpm. This video will demonstrate the rigorous attention to detail necessary for assembly, loading and alignment of this very important component of an AUC experiment.
07:03
Imaging Denatured Collagen Strands In vivo and Ex vivo via Photo-triggered Hybridization of Caged Collagen Mimetic Peptides
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Cited by 18 •
2014
This procedure demonstrates in vivo near IR fluorescence imaging of collagen remodeling activities in mice as well as ex vivo staining of collagens in tissue sections using caged collagen mimetic peptides that can be photo-triggered to hybridize with denatured collagen strands.
FAQs
Assembly proceeds through a sequence rather than a single event. Three polypeptide chains first form a procollagen triple helix inside cells. After secretion, enzymatic cleavage produces collagen molecules that can align into fibrils. Subsequent covalent crosslinking stabilizes those fibrils, creating extracellular-matrix structures capable of bearing tensile forces.
Enzymatic processing controls when secreted procollagen becomes able to participate in fibril formation, while covalent crosslinking provides later stabilization. These steps have different consequences: cleavage enables molecular organization after secretion, whereas crosslinking reinforces the assembled structure. Distinguishing them helps bioengineers interpret whether a collagen material lacks organization or sufficient mechanical stability.
In engineered systems, concentration, pH, temperature, and enzymatic activity are key assembly conditions. Changing them can alter the resulting collagen architecture and mechanics, so they are treated as design variables rather than incidental details. Controlling these parameters allows researchers to develop materials with different structural organization for specific bioengineering uses.
A practical workflow begins by selecting collagen and establishing assembly conditions, including concentration, pH, temperature, and relevant enzymatic activity. The material is then allowed to organize into fibrils and larger structures, producing a hydrogel, coating, or porous scaffold. The chosen conditions are adjusted to obtain the intended architecture and mechanical properties.
Collagen-based hydrogels, coatings, and porous scaffolds provide formats for applying controlled assembly. Their extracellular-matrix-like structures can support cell adhesion and tissue repair, while also serving organoid culture and biomimetic-tissue design. The appropriate format depends on the intended use, because each offers a different material architecture for organizing cells or repairing tissue.
Researchers can evaluate two linked outcomes: the architecture produced as molecules organize into fibrils and larger structures, and the mechanics associated with stabilization and tensile strength. In bioengineering, these outcomes indicate whether assembly conditions have generated a suitable material for cell adhesion, tissue repair, organoid culture, or biomimetic tissue design.