Back to top We used to think creatures were collections of cells, many different from each other, but most bound together cheek by jowl like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. Now we know that life outside the cell performs essential functions. And the term 'connective tissue' has taken on an even broader meaning. To hang together, cells need a scaffold, a matrix. Like the mesh in a screen.
Cells fill the holes in the mesh.
And Nature's most abundant protein polymer is collagen. More than a third of the body's protein is collagen and it can account for an even higher percentage in particular parts of the body. The more science learns about the body, the more significant we see collagen to be. At this stage of our knowledge, we've found 13 kinds of vertebrate collagen, plus some smaller molecules looking like collagen spare parts. Members of the family, we suspect.