Issue Information

Collagen fibrils are the major component of the molecular scaffold of connective tissues such as bones, skin and blood vessel walls. Strawn et al . report a novel protein design strategy to create collagen‐like fibrils having the characteristic axial repeating structure known as the D ‐period. Specific periodic placement of selected amino acids gives rise to collagen‐like fibrils emerging as the unique, most stable conformation during the self‐association of collagen triple helices. Achieving the structural features of collagen fibrils suggests a way forward to produce bottom‐up, designed collagen‐based biomaterials for a wide range of applications. (DOI: 10.1002/bip.23226 )