Microunfolding of the collagen triple helix, its implications in the fibril assembly of collagen and the triple helix as templates for nanoapplications

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Professor Yujia Xu of Hunter College-CUNY is supported by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry (MSN) Program in the Division of Chemistry to investigate the mechanisms of self-assembly of the collagen triple helix, and to use collagen fibers in nanomaterial design. The specific aims are to investigate the factors that control the autonomous unfolding of segments of the triple helix and to determine how these microunfolding processes affect the self-assembly of the triple helix. Understanding the mechanisms of self-assembly of collagen is important from fundamental and applied points of view. The knowledge gained will inspire and inform the design of different complex protein structures, biomimetic materials and scaffolds. Students will be exposed to research at the interface of chemistry and biology, and the research results will be integrated into course material at Hunter College which serves a diverse student population.