Dynamic, Reconfigurable, and Hierarchical Biosynthetic Composites via Collagen Self-Assembly within Highly Crowded Microgel Pastes

Authors

Elif Narbay, Chapman UniversityFollow
Abbygail Caine, Chapman University
Sanika Pandit, Chapman University
Gabrielle Montgomery, Chapman University
Marion Harper, Chapman University
E. Daniel Cárdenas-Vásquez, Chapman University
Hatte Hamilton, Chapman University
Megan Hicks, Chapman University
Daniel Mattar, Chapman University
Kyle Choy, Chapman University
Marco Bisoffi, Chapman UniversityFollow
L. Andrew Lyon, Chapman UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-6-2025

Abstract

The fabrication of a new class of biomimetic biomaterials is reported using nanostructured microgel pastes formed from “overpacked” assemblies of ultrasoft poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) microgels and their composites with collagen. Despite the solid-like nature of microgel pastes, collagen fibrillogenesis is robust and rapid, with a 3D collagen network forming throughout the paste volume. Structural organization within the composite is interrogated via a suite of microscopy methods, while rheological characterization provides insight into the static and dynamic mechanical properties of the materials. Long-range fibrillogenesis is enabled by local crowding, dynamics, and spatial reconfigurability of pastes at the colloidal length-scale, and by liquid–liquid phase separation during fibril formation, features that mimic the dynamic reorganization of natural extracellular matrix. In vitro 3D cell culture studies illustrate that the paste is non-toxic, permeable to nutrients, and permissive to cell invasion, while collagen fibers present sites for cell attachment and spreading. Together, these results suggest the platform's potential in the development of tissue scaffolds that mimic crowded and dynamic biological tissues. These materials address the need for new approaches to biomaterials that offer dynamic, bio-integrative environments for tissue healing and regenerative medicine via synthetic and spatial control from the polymer to the macroscopic length scales.

Comments

This article was originally published in Advanced Materials in 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202515114

Recommended Citation

Narbay E, Caine A, Pandit S, Montgomery G, Harper M, Cárdenas-Vásquez ED, Hamilton H, Hicks M, Mattar D, Choy K, Bisoffi M, Lyon LA. Dynamic, Reconfigurable, and Hierarchical Biosynthetic Composites via Collagen Self-Assembly within Highly Crowded Microgel Pastes. Adv Mater. (2025): e15114. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202515114

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License