Monika Madhavi Wisman Acharige
(University of Colombo, Sri Lanka)

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and plays a major role in the function of many tissues such as cartilage, tendon and ligament. Therefore, the structure-property-function relationships in collagen are key to understanding health and disease and developing collagen- based materials for medical purposes.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spin relaxation of water protons is a useful marker of the microstructure and composition of biological tissues. Proton spin relaxation is determined by intra and intermolecular interactions of spins with the magnetic moments of neighbouring nuclei. The interactions are mediated by the dynamics of the water molecules, which depend on the composition and cellular organization of the tissue. In partially aligned tissues such as tendon, relaxation rates depend on the orientation of the tissue relative to the applied magnetic field. This dependence (termed as the magic-angle effect) can be used to probe the microscopic 3D architecture of the tissue and inform the interpretation of MRI studies of cartilage biomechanics. Despite many experimental and computational studies conducted, microscopic origin of the magic angle effect is still not completely understood.
In this presentation we will discuss our approach in investigating the molecular origin of the magic angle effect, current results and future implications.

Zoom registration link:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIqf-ihrzkqH9AgyozbVO89Im32vIxe3ubZ