The power of combining Raman and SEM microscopies

The work conducted by Robin van der Meijden and colleagues has been recently published in Advanced Functional Materials titled: "A 3D cell-free bone model shows collagen mineralization driven and controlled by the matrix". In this work we demonstrate the strength of combining Raman microscopy with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to understand the role of the collagen matrix in bone mineralization. We were able to follow the mineralization process in-situ over a period of 10 days showing how mineral can be deposited in the organic matrix of these tissues. Using this method we determined not only that mineral can form in the matrix without biological control, but we can follow the level of mineralization, the phase changes of the mineralization and the simultaneous organization of the collagen matrix and the mineral matrix. Advanced data analysis methods have allowed us even to suggest a role for glycosaminoglycans, which are only a small part of the organic matrix, in controlling the infiltration and mineralization of collagen.

van der Meijden, Robin HM, et al. "A 3D Cell‐Free Bone Model Shows Collagen Mineralization is Driven and Controlled by the Matrix." Advanced Functional Materials (2023): 2212339.