Genetic Engineering Fuses Spider Silk and Silica
Bioengineers at Tufts University have created a
new fusion protein that for the first time combines the toughness of spider silk
with the intricate structure of silica.
Bioengineers at Tufts University have created a new fusion protein that for the first time combines the toughness of spider silk with the intricate structure of silica. The resulting nanocomposite could be used in medical and industrial applications, such as growing bone tissue.
“This is a novel genetic engineering strategy to design and develop new ‘chimeric’ materials by combining two of nature’s most remarkable materials — spider silk and diatom glassy skeletons – that normally are not found together,” said David L. Kaplan…director of Tufts’ Bioengineering and Biotechnology Center.
Kaplan says this new chimeric protein could lead to a variety of biomedical materials that restore tissue structure and function, including bone repair and regeneration.
Aside from repair to catastrophic injuries, this research might offer remedies for ailments like osteoporosis — on the rise in an ever-aging population.
Posted: Tue - June 27, 2006 at 06:40 AM