Collagen Origami · Collagen Origami
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2020-09-01 → 2022-08-31
- EU contribution
- €203,149
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Collagen Origami
Collagen is the most abundant protein in mammals and the principal component of connective tissue. Mutations in collagen or its abnormal expression are associated with a number of diseases, e.g., the brittle bone disease or fibrosis. Collagen model peptides (CMPs) which mimic collagen’s intriguing triple-helical structure are used as synthetic surrogates to study this structural protein. In this project, we have shown that the functional groups at the ends of CMPs have a strong impact on the stability of collagen triple helices, a fact that has eluded the scientific community despite the more than 50-year history of CMPs.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins in mammals, which features a unique structural characteristic of three peptide strands assembling into a right-handed triple helix. Synthetic collagen model peptides which form triple helical assemblies have previously been used to mimic the fibrillar structures of natural collagen, as well as create non-canonical supramolecular assemblies for applications in biomedicine and functional materials. However, a general platform enabling rational design of supramolecular architectures based on synthetic collagen remains elusive.The ‘Collagen Origami’ project aims to fuse the unique self-assembling properties of collagen model peptides with divalent, trivalent and tetravalent organic building blocks to build 2D and 3D molecular architectures of defined shape and size. In this proof-of-concept project, we envision creating 2D graphene-type structures using tripodal peptide–building block conjugates and 3D diamond-type structures using tetrapodal conjugates. The ability to assemble complex designer architectures from short peptidic units would be an unprecedented demonstration of the power of rational design in supramolecular self-assembly and would open a broad new field of collagen nanomaterials with applications in cell biology and nanotechnology.The ultimate goal of the ‘Collagen Origami’ project is to use the designed supramolecular assemblies as synthetic extracellular matrix mimics to template formation of cell spheroids. Specifically, collagen origami particles functionalized with integrin binding sequences and encapsulating growth factors will be used to support formation of spheroids from primary rat hepatocytes. The size, morphology and gene expression of the spheroids will reveal whether functionalized collagen origami is able to enforce more organ-like behaviour of cultured cells. Reaching this goal would demonstrate the potential of custom designed collagenous particles as matrices in tissue engineering.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- EIDGENOESSISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE ZUERICH · ZuerichCoordinatorSwitzerland
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union