AFM maps the way collagen unfolds and refolds in the body

A photograph of Alaa Al-Shaer standing in front of a microscope

Source: © Simon Fraser University

New insights could aid understanding of connective tissue disorders

For the first time, researchers have mapped how collagen protein structures, which are structurally unstable at body temperature, unfold and refold in the body.

The researchers say that understanding more about the stability of collagen could aid research into connective tissue disorders associated with changes in collagen’s chemical compositions, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and brittle bone disease.