Recombinant humanized type VII collagen for skin repair and regeneration: prospects for reconstructing the...

Type VII collagen (Col VII) is a key component of the anchoring fibrils at the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ). It plays a crucial role in maintaining stable adhesion between the epidermis and dermis, promoting wound re-epithelialization, and ensuring the structural integrity of the skin following repair. With advancements in genetic engineering, synthetic biology, and recombinant protein expression technologies, recombinant humanized type VII collagen (rhCol VII) has gradually emerged as a novel functional biomaterial of interest in the fields of skin repair and regenerative medicine. Compared with traditional type I and type III collagen materials, the potential advantages of rhCol VII lie in its excellent safety profile, scalability for industrial production, and its potential structural and functional targeting of the DEJ, which may offer new insights into restoring interface stability following wound repair. This review summarizes the molecular structure, biological functions, and recent therapeutic research progress of Col VII, as well as the application prospects of rhCol VII in chronic wounds, post-aesthetic surgery barrier damage, and tissue-engineered skin. It also discusses the challenges that remain to be addressed in material development and clinical translation, with the aim of providing a reference for further research on rhCol VII-based skin repair materials.