Collagen Nanoloom

Student: Kathryn Portale
Department: Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
Advisor: Jeffrey Ruberti

Abstract

Collagen is the principal load bearing molecule in mammals and can be found in bone, ligament, cornea, tendon and cartilage, among other tissues. When the cell builds tissue scaffolds in vivo, the collagen fibers are aligned in a highly controlled manner, for which the alignment of these fibers dictates the function and it’s assciated mechanical properties. The ability to print organized collagen arrays in vitro may eliminate the need for current tissue repair therapies that involve the implantation of artificial materials to supply the function of damaged load-bearing tissues.

I am currently designing a collagen nanoloom device which will have the ability to print organized arrays of collagen fibrils. The nanoloom’s initial design and prototype was carried out by a group of students under the format of a Capstone design project. My role is to further develop their design into a fully functional and versatile device. The nanoloom is constructed around a nanoporous biomimetic membrane and has the potential to allow for printing of highly-organized 3-dimensional arrays of collagen fibers, which can be used as tissue engineering scaffolds. The nanoloom design entails micro-scale thermal and mechanical control of nano-scale tissue organization. The development of the collagen nanoloom is a multidisciplinary endeavor, requiring significant efforts in the areas of mechanical and chemical engineering effort, in particular at the nanotechnology scale.