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Updated: Jul 31, 2025

Studying Normal Tissue Radiation Effects using Extracellular Matrix Hydrogels
Published on: July 24, 2019
Strategic outline of interventions targeting extracellular matrix for promoting healthy longevity
Ji Young Cecilia Park1, Aaron King2, Victor Björk3
1Laboratory of Extracellular Matrix Regeneration, Institute of Translational Medicine, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland.
Abstract:
The extracellular matrix (ECM), composed of interlinked proteins outside of cells, is an important component of the human body that helps maintain tissue architecture and cellular homeostasis. As people age, the ECM undergoes changes that can lead to age-related morbidity and mortality. Despite its importance, ECM aging remains understudied in the field of geroscience. In this review, we discuss the core concepts of ECM integrity, outline the age-related challenges and subsequent pathologies and diseases, summarize diagnostic methods detecting a faulty ECM, and provide strategies targeting ECM homeostasis. To conceptualize this, we built a technology research tree to hierarchically visualize possible research sequences for studying ECM aging. This strategic framework will hopefully facilitate the development of future research on interventions to restore ECM integrity, which could potentially lead to the development of new drugs or therapeutic interventions promoting health during aging.
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