Collagen is a protein that provides shape and support to organs, providing a scaffold for living cells to grow and thrive. It is also the most abundant protein in the human body.

This image shows collagen fibers in a lung tumor from a mouse. When arranged in a specific way, the fibers glow when illuminated with infrared laser light. This image is color-coded by depth to reveal the fibers’ three-dimensional structure. This work helps investigate how processes like cancer and aging affect collagen. 

Jennifer Davis and Alexandra Berr

Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Department of Biomedical Engineering