By David L. Chandler -
After years of research decoding the complex structure and production of spider silk, researchers have now succeeded in producing samples of this exceptionally strong and resilient material in the laboratory. The new development could lead to a variety of biomedical materials — from sutures to scaffolding for organ replacements — made from synthesized silk with properties specifically tuned for their intended uses.
The findings are published this week in the journal Nature Communications by MIT professor of civil and environmental engineering (CEE) Markus Buehler, postdocs Shangchao Lin and Seunghwa Ryu, and others at MIT, Tufts University, Boston University, and in Germany, Italy, and the U.K.
READ MORE ON MIT | TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
Ref: Predictive modelling-based design and experiments for synthesis and spinning of bioinspired silk fibres.
Nature Communications (2015) | DOI:10.1038/ncomms7892
Biosynthetic spider silk created - Many potential applications for medical and aerospace industries
