Book excerpt: As collagen is the main structural component of body tissues, there has been much effort expended, both in the past and today, to use it in cell culture applications. Indeed, its importance is further stressed by the wide use of collagen biomaterials in tissue repair and regeneration, including the treatment of burns, chronic wounds or bone repair. This book represents a journey through recent scientific history, and describes the massive 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 personalised medicine.