Biomimetic collagen materials
| Topic | 18 |
| Main supervisor |
S. Förster
(s.foerster@fz-juelich.de) |
| MLZ institution | FZJ |
| Local supervisor 1 |
Joachim Loos
|
| Institution |
MORPHYS
|
| Local supervisor 2 | – |
| Institution |
–
|
| Local supervisor 3 | – |
| Institution | – |
| Local supervisor 4 | – |
| Institution | – |
| Title |
Biomimetic collagen materials |
| Description | Collagen is the major component of connective tissues, including skin, bone, cornea, tendon, and ligament. Collagen is based on a hierarchical organization of triple helices, that are arranged into connected fibrils which determine the mechanical and biological properties of tissue. Due to the importance of collagen-materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, there is a rapidly growing area of research to use self-assembling polypeptides to synthesize biomimetic collagen materials.
The project will investigate the self-assembly of peptides into helices to achieve a similar structural hierarchy as collagen. Using specific crosslinking types the mechanical properties of the collagen-mimetic materials can be adjusted. Furthermore, biomineralization of the helix assemblies will allow a route to materials structurally analogous to bone. Fellows will become familiar with the synthesis, fabrication and characterization of modern biological materials involving state-of-the-art neutron and complementary techniques such as X-ray scattering and electron microscopy, and develop a modern portfolio of skills in both academic and industrial settings. |