Engineering fiber anisotropy within natural collagen hydrogels
Year: 2021
Type: review
Abstract: It is well known that biophysical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM), including stiffness, porosity, composition, and fiber alignment (anisotropy), play a crucial role in controlling cell behavior in vivo. Type I collagen (collagen I) is a ubiquitous structural component in the ECM and has become a popular hydrogel material that can be tuned to replicate the mechanical properties found in vivo. In this review article, we describe popular methods to create 2-D and 3-D collagen I hydrogels with anisotropic fiber architectures. We focus on methods that can be readily translated from engineering and materials science laboratories to the life-science community with the overall goal of helping to increase the physiological relevance of cell culture assays.
Institution: Rochester Institute of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Cell Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Awards: The µSiM-hNVU - a human BBB platform for the study of brain injury mechanisms during systemic infection, Transparent Ultrathin Nanomembranes for Barrier Cell Models and Novel Co-Culture Systems, Commercializing the µSIM: A Modular Platform for the Development and Analysis of Barrier Tissue Models
OpenAlex ID: W3154625788