An international research team has developed a technique to identify early molecular changes in skin collagen long before they become apparent through standard imaging methods.
Led by Hiroshima University, the team used advanced optical imaging and chiroptical spectroscopy to examine collagen structure. Their work shows that the protein can lose its organized molecular handedness while the overall amount and visible fiber network remain largely intact.
The findings, published July 16, 2026, in ACS Nano, indicate that collagen deterioration starts at a deeper level than previously detectable. "Conventional imaging methods can show the 'bricks' of a collagen structure, but they may miss subtle changes in how those bricks are arranged," said first author Ali Haider.
Corresponding author Katsuya Inoue noted that the study highlights the need to view collagen as a hierarchical material. The researchers combined synchrotron radiation vacuum-ultraviolet circular dichroism and multi-dimensional quantum cascade laser vibrational circular dichroism to measure both quantity and structural coherence in tissue samples.
The collaboration involved institutions from Japan, Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The approach could eventually support earlier assessment of tissue integrity in areas such as wound healing and biomaterial design.
