Dr Laurent Bozec

tel: +44 (0)20 3456 1188

fax: +44 (0)20 3456 1227

email: l.bozec@ucl.ac.uk

office:

Eastman Dental Institute

Biography:

Laurent Bozec completed his PhD in 2002 at Lancaster University (Physics) developing novel applications for scanning probe microscopy. During his thesis, he developed an infrared-based AFM technique, known as Photothermal Microspectroscopy (PTMS). He then joined the Bone and Mineral Centre in UCL Medicine and subsequently the London Centre for Nanotechnology, working in Prof. Horton's Group as a Senior Research Fellow. During this period, his main research focused on understanding the biophysics of collagen and proposed a new model for the collagen fibril.

He has recently been appointed as Lecturer in the department of Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (Sept. 2007).

Research:

My overall research aim is to study the contribution of nanoscale architecture and chemical composition to the structure, function and mechanical properties of collagenous tissues in both health and disease.

Genetic variation and mechanical properties of collagen at the single molecule level.
Fibrillar collagen: nanoscale architecture responsible for mechanical stability.
Impact of the hydroxy-apatite on the Mechanical stability at the nanoscale.
Development of new-materials for increasing biomechanical stability.
Development of new scanning probe microscopic tools for biophysics and materials science.
Interfacing Atomic Force Microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy.
Thermal physics at the nanoscale.

Micron-scale entanglement of two collagen fibrils
Resorption lacunae (Dentine) imaged by atomic force microscopy
Topographical images (height; tapping mode in air) of type I collagen monomers on mica substrate:

a) low surface coverage – 1mg/ml solution,

b) high surface coverage – 10 mg/ml

Recent Papers

Search the UCL Publications Database

L. Bozec, G. van der Heijden and M. A. Horton, “Collagen fibrils: nanoscale ropes”, Biophys J. (2007) Jan 1:92(1):70-5.
L. M. Picco, L. Bozec, A. Ulcinas, D. J. Engledew, M. Antognozzi, M. A. Horton and M. J. Miles, “Breaking the speed limit with AFM”, Nanoletters (2007) 18, pp044030
M. P.E. Wenger, L. Bozec, M. A. Horton, and P. Mesquida, “Mechanical properties of collagen fibrils”, Biophys J. (2007) –15:93(4):1255-63.
L. Bozec, M.A. Horton, “Skeletal tissues as nanomaterials”, Mater. Sci. Mater. Med. (2006) 17(11):1043-8
L. Bozec and M.A. Horton, “Topography and Mechanical Properties of Single Molecules of Type I collagen Using Atomic Force Microscopy”, Biophys J., 88 (6), (2005) 4223.