Collagen News and Research

Latest Collagen News and Research

3D capillary system offers a new approach to investigate obstruction of microvessels

Engineered human capillaries are providing an astounding view of how red blood cells transit ultra-small blood vessels.

23 Jan 2020

Researchers identify liver fibrosis ‘off switch’ in mice

Chronic alcohol abuse and hepatitis can injure the liver, often leading to a buildup of collagen and scar tissue.

23 Jan 2020

Surgical complications are much more likely in smokers

A new study shows that smoking tobacco puts you at a greatly increased risk for complications after surgery. This includes heart and lung damage, poor wound healing and a higher chance of complications. However, quitting smoking, even as late as 4 weeks before the surgery, improves the chances of having a good post-operative result and fewer complications.

21 Jan 2020

Certain enzymes implicated in diseases like cancer also destroy each other

Like motley bandits, certain enzymes implicated in cancer and other diseases also annihilate each other. A new study reveals details of their mutual foils in the hopes that these behaviors can be leveraged to fight the enzymes' disease potential.

20 Jan 2020

Enzymes that cannibalize each other and promote cancer

A new study to be published this week in the journal The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the week of January 20, 2020. shows that certain human enzymes play dual roles in health and disease. Not only do they promote the occurrence of cancer and some other illnesses, they also eliminate one another rather like cannibals. The researchers hope this behaviour can be exploited to prevent these enzymes from causing human disease.

20 Jan 2020

Research could be starting point for wound dressings with 'built-in infection stoppers'

Infections are a dreaded threat that can have fatal consequences after an operation, in the treatment of wounds, and during tissue engineering.

17 Jan 2020

New method for fabricating collagen fibrils facilitates research on the eye’s repair process

Cells called corneal keratocytes are innately programmed to come to the rescue if the eye is injured. This natural healing process sometimes fails, however, resulting in scarring and blindness. Scientists are still trying to understand why.

9 Jan 2020

Pancreatic cancer cells release signal to suppress immune system's attack on tumors

A key immune signal has a previously unknown role in turning off the immune system's attack on pancreatic cancer cells, a new study finds.

8 Jan 2020

Researchers show new potential path to improve bone-repair procedures

Researchers are moving closer to a new approach for improving spinal fusion procedures and repairing broken or defective bones that avoids an over-production of bone that commonly occurs in current treatments.

3 Jan 2020

Protein therapy could improve outcomes following heart attack, study shows

Heart disease remains the largest killer in Australia and around the world. A new study has shown that a protein therapy- recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-AB (rhPDGF-AB) - could improve outcomes following heart attack.

2 Jan 2020

Pulmonary fibrosis associated with short and long sleep duration

Scientists have discovered that people who regularly sleep for more than 11 hours or less than 4 hours are 2-3 times more likely to have the incurable disease, pulmonary fibrosis, compared to those that sleep for 7 hours in a day. They attribute this association to the body clock.

30 Dec 2019

Study unlocks the potential for new therapies to help correct bone disorder

Osteogensis imperfecta is a group of genetic disorders that mainly affect the bone. Patients with OI have bones that break easily, sometimes with no apparent cause.

23 Dec 2019

Biocompatible hydrogels could help heal wounds, deliver drugs and treat cancer

Hydrogels for healing, synthesized from the molecules up by Rice University bioengineers, are a few steps closer to the clinic.

16 Dec 2019

Manuka honey fights infection in surgical dressings

And now, Manuka honey is proving a gamechanger in the fight against extremely drug-resistant infections, according to a new study published in the journal Frontiers.

5 Dec 2019

Preterm birth could be spotted early by ultrasound

A new presentation at the 178th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in San Diego will report on ultrasound as used in pregnancy, especially with respect to the comparison of two sets of data derived from two separate ultrasound techniques to evaluate cervical changes. The researchers claim that both ultrasound techniques help to estimate the attenuation coefficient of human cervical tissue, and to thus assess changes in it, providing a better picture of the true risk for preterm birth thereby.

4 Dec 2019

FDA-approved drug to prevent organ rejection may slow skin aging

The search for youthfulness typically turns to lotions, supplements, serums and diets, but there may soon be a new option joining the fray.

25 Nov 2019

Improved optical imaging technique can help identify patients at risk of future heart attacks

Doctors need better ways to detect and monitor heart disease, the leading cause of death in industrialized countries. A team led by Massachusetts General Hospital researchers with support from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering has developed an improved optical imaging technique that found differences between potentially life-threatening coronary plaques and those posing less imminent danger for patients with coronary artery disease.

25 Nov 2019

Researchers develop new way to 3D print living skin with blood vessels

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a way to 3D print living skin, complete with blood vessels. The advancement, published online today in Tissue Engineering Part A, is a significant step toward creating grafts that are more like the skin our bodies produce naturally.

1 Nov 2019

New contrast agent improves MRI diagnosis of early liver fibrosis

A new compound has been invented to bind to liver cells that are in the early stages of damage, thus making it easier to pick them up using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

30 Oct 2019

New way to slow and reverse fibrosis identified

In cell and mouse models, Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators have identified a way to slow and reverse the process of uncontrolled internal scarring, called fibrosis.

30 Oct 2019