# Role of Distortion Energy in Fibroblast-Mediated Remodeling of Collagen Matrices

> **NIH NIH R15** · BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $113,546

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Dense connective tissue is composed of an abundant collagen network that is maintained and repaired by
fibroblasts. The parent R15 proposal is investigating whether fibroblast-mediated collagen remodeling is
governed at the tissue-scale by distortion strain energy. The effect of targeted magnitudes of distortion energy
on collagen remodeling will be measured by quantifying alterations in the composition, organization, and
mechanical behavior of the scaffolds. In order to quantify changes in fiber organization from confocal
microscopy images, a software application called FiberFit is being used to automate the objective measurement
of two structural properties that describe material anisotropy: fiber orientation and fiber dispersion. The
standalone software application, FiberFit, was developed in the Northwest Tissue Mechanics laboratory in 2016
and is freely available to the scientific community for Windows and Mac systems. FiberFit has now been used
in many research projects outside the developing laboratory, including research on tumors, liver, muscle, and
engineered composite materials. This project will re-engineer FiberFit and deploy it as a cloud-based
application. Emphasis will be placed on creating a robust, intuitive, and sustainable software application that
implements best practices in software engineering and design to facilitate broad adoption across the scientific
community.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10452423
- **Project number:** 3R15AR075314-01S1
- **Recipient organization:** BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Trevor Justin Lujan
- **Activity code:** R15 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $113,546
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-09-23 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10452423

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10452423, Role of Distortion Energy in Fibroblast-Mediated Remodeling of Collagen Matrices (3R15AR075314-01S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10452423. Licensed CC0.

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