Tuning Viruses Creates Complex Biological Tissues
BERKELEY, Calif., Oct. 20, 2011 — A benign virus has been turned into an engineering tool for assembling structures that mimic collagen, considered one of the most important structural proteins in nature. Researchers say this process eventually could be used to manufacture materials with tunable photonic, optical, biomedical and mechanical properties. The materials created with the help of viruses eventually could be used to create complex biological tissues, such as cornea, skin and bones. (Image: Woo-Jae Chung, UC Berkel...