Underpinnings of the Extracellular Matrix

Catalog description

Collagen is the most plentiful protein in the body. Every tissue that lays down basement membrane utilizes collagen to attach cells to the extracellular matrix. Collagen is a primary structural element of tissues ranging from bone, cartilage and tendon to arterial wall, sclera and skin. Many of the mechanisms currently under consideration to describe how mechanical forces are transduced into cellular activity require the forces to travel through collagenous structures on their way to the cells. This class presents the fundamentals of collagenous tissues in a combined lecture/seminar format. Details at the molecular, fibrillar and whole tissue levels are presented. Applications ranging from how to obtain collagen molecules, to synthesizing gels for use in tissue engineering, to design and creation of collagen based materials for replacement and/or augmentation of several tissues are presented. A series of guest lectures by researchers currently using and/or developing collagen based materials are presented. Throughout the course, students choose articles of interest, present them to the class, and participate in discussions surrounding these presentations. The course concludes with a series of in-class presentations by the students who pick a specific application of interest to them and then demonstrate how the fundamentals presented in the first portion of the class play out in their application. While not required, it is recommended that students have an undergraduate course in biomaterials, two semesters of undergraduate biology, and organic chemistry. Prereq: Graduate Student standing.