3D‐printing of Methacryloylated Recombinant Collagen for Tissue Engineering

ABSTRACT Recombinant collagen‐like proteins offer promise compared to conventional mammalian derived collagens, as there is less risk of disease transfer, more consistency between batches, and they are more compatible with a range of religious and ethical groups within society. Here, a recombinant collagen‐like protein, Scl2 derived from Streptococcus pyogenes , was studied for use as a biomaterial. Following methacryloylation the collagen solution demonstrated favorable flow properties for extrusion printing, as well as rapid photo‐crosslinking. The system was seen to have tailorable mechanical properties, with 3D‐printed scaffolds achievable. The hydrogel scaffolds were shown to be cytocompatible with L929 fibroblasts after 7 days. This demonstrated a recombinantly produced collagen‐like biomaterial that is 3D‐printable and cytocompatible that provides a basis for further cellular studies and tissue engineering applications.