(K-429) Rapid, Tunable Collagen Patterning for Vascular Engineering and Tissue Scaffolding

Collagen is a widely used extracellular matrix scaffolding protein for tissue models. However, mimicking physiological collagen architectures and producing defined geometries is challenging using conventional in vitro gelation techniques. Here, we introduce a novel patterning method to address these limitations, enabling the tuning of collagen stiffness, shape, and size and inducing complete gelation within seconds at room temperature. We encapsulate mesenchymal stem cells, human liver carcinoma cells, and endothelial cells within patterned collagen, analyzing tissue assembly and cell migration over days to weeks. Increasing collagen stiffness attenuates cell invasiveness and contractility, resulting in reduced collagen compaction. Furthermore, we showcase the fabrication of microvasculature patches with high tissue integrity and longevity using patterned collagen microbundles. Our findings provide insights into cell-collagen interaction dynamics and demonstrate the potential of tunable collagen scaffolds for tissue engineering and disease modeling.