Collagen gels and the 'Bornstein legacy': from a substrate for tissue culture to cell culture systems and biomaterials for tissue regeneration.

As collagen is the main structural component of connective tissues and skin, much effort was made in the past and still today to use it in cell culture applications. Moreover, collagen biomaterials are widely used in tissue regeneration, including the treatment of burns and chronic wounds. The great implications of the research carried out by Bornstein, Ehrmann and Gey on collagen preparations in the 1950s for cell culture and more recently tissue engineering and regeneration are described in this commentary. Specifically, it is explored why the 1958 paper on 'Reconstituted Rat-Tail Collagen Used as Substrate for Tissue Cultures on Coverslips in Maximow Slides and Roller Tubes' by M. B. Bornstein has made an invaluable contribution to the field.