Designing Recombinant Collagens for Biomedical Applications

摘要

Collagens are a key element in the architecture of all organs and tissues. These proteins not only build the extracellular scaffolds that define the mechanical properties of tissues, but also play an important role as cell signaling molecules. Certain characteristics of collagens enable them to fulfill specific functions, including their triple-helical structure and their ability to self-assemble into complex extracellular structures. Their unique properties allow collagens to serve as a material to build scaffolds for tissue repair and engineering, as a drug delivery vehicle, and, in the form of gelatin, as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Animal-derived collagens are widely utilized in the biomedical field today, but their use is associated with a number of limitations and potential side effects.