# Targeting Collagen Mechanical Damage using Collagen Hybridizing Peptides

> **NIH NIH R01** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2022 · $355,445

## Abstract

SUMMARY
Detection of Collagen Mechanical Damage using Collagen Hybridizing Peptides.
Mechanical injury to load-bearing tissues leads to many clinically significant conditions (e.g. tendinosis, rotator
cuff disease) but we have limited understanding of the injury process of tissues that are damaged by mechanical
stress. The overall goal of the proposed research is to gain new understanding of the biomechanics of load
bearing collagenous tissues by developing the collagen hybridizing peptide (CHP) technology into a new
mechanical damage detection method. CHP has been reported to bind to denatured collagen strands originating
from protease activity or by mechanical damage in a manner similar to primer binding to melted DNA during
PCR. We propose to substantially expand the capabilities of CHP damage detection by developing new CHPs
that are smaller for faster diffusion into dense musculoskeletal tissues and exhibit accelerated binding kinetics to
allow faster damage reporting. We will also develop a new CHP that only fluoresces upon binding with collagen,
eliminating the need to stain and wash tissues and enabling the CHP to serve as a damage gauge in overloaded
tissues. We will then develop optimized protocols for the use of the existing and new CHPs, determine the
relationship between collagen fibril strain and CHP binding in musculoskeletal soft tissues, and quantitatively
compare CHP targeting to other techniques. Finally, we will apply CHP targeting to elucidate the relationship
between tissue level mechanical loading and mechanical damage to collagen at the molecular level. We will
focus on two important musculoskeletal tissues of considerable clinical relevance: tendons and articular
cartilage. Considering the wide-spread impact of collagen damage in musculoskeletal injuries and diseases, in-
depth understanding of the relationships between molecular level collagen damage and mechanical overloading
will provide new insights into the biomechanics of load-bearing tissues as well as help develop new diagnostics
and therapies for managing musculoskeletal disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10437626
- **Project number:** 5R01AR071358-05
- **Recipient organization:** UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- **Principal Investigator:** JEFFREY A. WEISS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $355,445
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-05-05 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10437626

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10437626, Targeting Collagen Mechanical Damage using Collagen Hybridizing Peptides (5R01AR071358-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10437626. Licensed CC0.

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