45 Analysis of Polymers in Context
Kayla Coppin and brtryon
Cellulose
Cellulose is useful in the field of biomaterials as a whole because of several properties. One of these properties is cell adhesion. Cellulose has specialized binding domains on its surface that allow for cells to attach to the cellulose and provide biophysical cues to new cells and tissues. Cellulose, since it is a natural polymer, also provides excellent biocompatibility and biodegradable properties to scaffoldings and other types of biomaterials (Hickey et. al, 2019).
Resilin
Resilin is found in insect cuticles and exhibits high resilience, low stiffness, and high strain properties. Resilin-based proteins also display self-assembly properties and are auto fluorescent. Resilin is being utilized by researchers for a myriad of applications including designing biosensors, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. In tissue engineering, specifically, resilin-based hydrogels exhibit excellent mechanical strength and extensibility. Resilin hydrogels even showcased similar properties to vocal fold tissues at high frequencies, corresponding to the human voice (Renay et. al, 2013).
Collagen
Collagen is the most abundant extracellular matrix protein in the animal kingdom. It is highly biocompatible for cells, which allows it to be a great implantable material for in vitro testing systems. Collagen has been used for thousands of years because of its healing properties. Applications of collagen include wound closure, burn treatment, hernia repair, and dental applications. Future developments for collagen include collagen-based peptides and the combination of other extracellular matrix polymers in order to achieve additive manufacturing and self-assembly (Meyer, M. 2019).
Citations
Hickey, R. J., & Pelling, A. E. (2019, February 25). Cellulose biomaterials for tissue engineering. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2019.00045/full#:~:text=Cellulose%20is%20a%20diverse%20material,advantages%20over%20conventional%20synthetic%20materials
Renay S., Su, C., Kim, Y., & Liu, J. C. (2013, July 3). Resilin: Protein-based Elastomeric Biomaterials. Science Direct. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1742706113003310#:~:text=Resilin%20is%20an%20elastomeric%20protein,low%20stiffness%2C%20and%20high%20resilience
Meyer, M. (2019, March 18). Processing of collagen based biomaterials and the resulting materials properties. BioMed Central. https://biomedical-engineering-online.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12938-019-0647-0#:~:text=Many%20collagen%2Drich%20tissues%20are,dental%20applications%20and%20other%20applications
