The fluorogenic DQ™ collagen can be used to directly monitor collagenase activity. DQ™ substrates are analogs of the natural substrate that have an excessive number of fluorescent dyes attached so that the fluorescence signal is almost non-existent. This quenching of the signal is caused by the close proximity of the dyes on the intact substrate. The enzyme-driven hydrolysis of the substrate results in separation of the dye results in separation of the dye molecules from one another and the fluorescence signal increases.