Animal Free Structured Collagens for Regenerative Medicine

胶原蛋白是一种蛋白质“粘合剂”，存在于结缔组织(如肌肉、骨骼、皮肤)和人和动物的器官之间，并将细胞捆绑在一起。作为一种资源，各种类型的胶原蛋白可以从动物产品(例如牛皮)中提取，或者在本项目的情况下，可以通过将人胶原蛋白的基因整合到酵母中来合成它们。制药业使用这种方法从细菌中生产人胰岛素，用于治疗糖尿病。通过酵母发酵生产胶原蛋白是一种优势，因为它消除了动物产品固有的风险，如病毒和普恩病毒；提供了一种更纯净的原料，没有潜在的难以去除的污染物；并且适合素食分类。本项目的目的是优化一种已经被成功证明用于生产人类I型胶原的工艺方法，并将其应用于人体不同组织中发现的两种不同形式的人胶原蛋白：II型和III型。小规模试验表明，酵母细胞可以在固定体积的罐中生长和维持，在那里它们被连续喂养，从而能够产生1型人胶原。然后将该产品从主要发酵罐原料中分离出来，用于下游加工和准备销售。ProColl已经成功地实现了1型胶原蛋白的这一点，我们现在正在寻求资金来开发生产II型和III型人类胶原蛋白的工艺。这三种胶原蛋白(I型、III型、III型)占人体内所有胶原蛋白类型的99%，因此从非动物来源制造它们的能力将对寻求更生物兼容、更安全和无伦理的胶原蛋白来源的医学研究和医疗器械行业大有裨益。

Collagen is the protein 'cement' material that occurs between and binds cells in connective tissues (e.g., muscles, bones, skin) and organs in both humans and animals. As a resource, types of collagen can be extracted from animal products (e.g., cow skin) or as in the case of this project it is possible to synthesize them by incorporating the genes for human collagen into yeast. The pharmaceutical industry uses such an approach for the production of human insulin from bacteria for the treatment of diabetes. Producing collagen as a product of yeast fermentation is advantageous as it removes the risks inherent to animal products such as viruses and prions; provides a purer raw material free of potentially difficult to remove contaminants; and is suitable for Vegan classification.The purpose of this project is to optimise a process method that has already been successfully demonstrated for human Type I collagen production and apply this to two different forms of human collagen, Type II and Type III, which are found in different tissues of the body. Small scale trials have shown that yeast cells can be grown and sustained in a fixed volume tank where they are fed continuously such that they are able to produce human collagen in the form of Type 1\. This product is then separated from the main fermenter stock for downstream processing and preparation for sale. ProColl have successfully achieved this for Type 1 collagen, we are now seeking funds to develop processes to produce Type II and Type III human collagens. These three collagens (Type I, II, III) make up 99% of all types of collagens found in the body by volume, and so the ability to manufacture all of them from non-animal sources would be of great benefit for medical research and medical device industries which are seeking more biocompatible, safer, and ethical-free sources of collagen.