Synthesis and characterization of collagen methacrylamide sponges for use as a biological scaffold

The goal of this thesis was to develop collagen methacrylamide (CMA) into a functional biological scaffold by enhancing its physical strength. CMA is a biocompatible, functionalized type I collagen moiety whose physical strength can be modulated by UV light exposure. Commercially-available, collagen-based biological devices comprised of decellularized ECM possess excellent mechanical properties, but are limited in their amenability to physical and chemical patterning. Scaffolds manufactured from purified collagens are not suitable for most biomedical applications because of their limited physical strength. In the first study, collagen methacrylamide was processed into sponges by lyophilization. Subsequently, the material was characterized through rheometry and found to be weaker than its corresponding hydrogel. A second study evaluated increasing the concentration of the material to increase its strength. In a third study, EDC crosslinking was employed as an additional method to increase the strength of CMA. Both studies demonstrated an increase in the tensile strength and elastic modulus of CMA sponges. However, further increases in strength will be necessary in order for this device to be feasible as a biological scaffold. Nevertheless, the potential exists for CMA sponges, containing gradients of stiffness or peptide-patterning, to be developed into a superior material for numerous tissue engineering applications.