The image shows a particularly picturesque example of collagen deposition, the initial “architectural” stage of hard tissue formation in bone through the production of collagen by osteoblasts before hydroxyapatite mineralisation. The image was acquired while undergoing an MRes investigating the molecular basis of a rare form of Osteogenesis Imperfecta in children which causes defects in collagen deposition and subsequent bone density, of which the cause is unknown.

Represented in the image are two complete stages of collagen production and deposition: firstly the vesicular collagen in the centre of the image, after undergoing ER-Golgi production and trafficking within the osteoblast, is released into the extracellular matrix. We can then observe the successful deposition of this collagen into the 20 – 300 nm diameter fibrils which arch around the cell peripheries. These structures form the collagen scaffold primed for calcium phosphate mineralisation, with this particular image showing the intricacy and artistry of this bio-synthetic process.