3D bioprinting technologies for regenerative medicine are experiencing unprecedented growth in numerous applications, including the research, development, and manufacture of tissues and organs. Collagen is a structural protein — the basic building block of the human body’s extracellular matrix. Its natural structure, inherent biocompatibility, biodegradability and substantial clinical applications make it an ideal biomaterial for regenerative medicine.
Leveraging proprietary technology and extensive experience in biomaterials, CollPlant developed mass production of Collink.3DTM recombinant human type I Collagen (rhCollagen) methacrylamide. Collink.3D™ is made using genetically-engineered plants, without any animal-derived substances or reagents.
There’s nothing else like it: Collink.3DTM is the first and only plant-based human collagen bioink platform, enabling perfect mimicry of the native properties of tissues and organs. It is formulated to allow scalable and reproducible biofabrication of tissue and organ models, including 3D cell culture models for diseases, as well as scaffolds, tissues and organs for implantation.
Due to its plant origin and its identical match with natural human collagen, Collink.3DTM results in the fabrication of tissue matrices with superior performance, consistency and safety — and unrivalled advantages:
• Biofunctionality – for faster cell proliferation and tissue regeneration, supporting the viability of various cell types
• Homogeneity – reproducible controlled physical properties (rheology); tunability; ease of use; compatibility with various printers and photo-initiators
• Safety – excellent safety profile; non-immunogenic
Collink.3DTM enables fabrication of 3D scaffolds with complex architectures, meeting the demand for specific geometric, physical and biological properties. Biofabricated constructs made with Collink.3DTM can be used in a wide range of soft and hard tissue applications, including drug discovery, drug screening and tissue testing, as well as the development and manufacture of transplantable tissues, scaffolds and organs with defined properties.
Collink.3DTM is compatible with major 3D bioprinting technologies — extrusion, inkjet, photolithography, and laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT). Due to its biocompatibility, it supports the viability of various cell types – stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, endothelial and epithelial cells.
CollPlant has translated the complex process for producing type I human collagen into a plant. It begins in the plant’s cells, with the synthesis of the correct mRNA, translation into a primary amino acid sequence, post-translational modifications and the assembly of a stable trimer molecule — procollagen. The collagen is purified to the level required for clinical applications followed by chemical modification using methacrylic anhydride. This results in rhCollagen-methacryamide, which can be used as a photo-curable polymer. Purification and methacrylation are validated processes, carried out in CollPlant’s ISO-certified clean rooms.
Extensive studies carried out to characterize the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of Collink.3DTM confirmed its identity to human type I collagen and its functionality as a bioink. Specifically:
• DNA of the 5 recombinant genes is translated into the respective human sequence of COLα1 and COLα2, and relevant hydroxylation enzymes
• Structural identity of mature collagen
• Physical functions of collagen, including fibrillogenesis and D-banding
• Biocompatibility, including support of cell adhesion and proliferation, non-immunogenicity, and general safety profile
• Superior physical and biological properties compared to animal and human tissue-extracted collagen
• Molecular characterization of the modified molecules and functional properties as bioink, including compatibility with various printing technologies, mechanical properties of the scaffolds and biological performance in vitro and in vivo.
This diagram illustrates the various characterization studies that demonstrated the identicality of Collink.3DTM to human collagen, and its functionality as a bioink.
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Collink3D™: Ready, set, print!
For more information, contact us at Collink.3D@collplant.com