Extracellular Matrix Alloys For Vascular Tissue Engineering
Joyce Wong,
Professor of Biomedical Engineering,
Boston University
To engineer and build tissues, one requires an understanding of key relationships between cell behavior and the underlying substrate. In native tissues, extracellular matrix proteins are in the form of fibrous networks, sheets, and fibers. Over the past few years, we have been investigating the role of composition and processing conditions of various extracellular matrix fibers and alloy fibers on mechanical properties and biological properties. These fibers are also critical components of tissues such as blood vessels. We have also determined the role of mechanical strain on binding of different antibodies and peptide-functionalized contrast agents to these fibers. Importantly, we discovered that composition can be tuned to stabilize extracellular matrix proteins in fiber forms, which is especially useful with compositions where it is difficult to process the proteins into fibers. Through an integrated computational and experimental approach, we have discovered relationships between hydrophobicity and protein fiber forming capability and stability. Moreover, we have verified that the protein alloy fibers support cell adhesion and allow one to tune the mechanical properties of the fiber. This is of significance as the mechanical properties of the substrate play an important role in modulating cell behavior, e.g. cell migration and proliferation.
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