Combining Silk with Synthetic Compounds: The Future of Biomedical Implants
Silk has an extensive history of being used in medical practices. For example, there exist vast records of doctors in the past using fibers that were spun by silkworms to stitch up patients nearly 200 years ago. Today, surgeons sometimes use silk sutures to finish certain operations, like eye surgeries.
This is mainly because silk is not only safe for use in a human body but is also tolerated well by the human body. In some instances, the body degrades and absorbs it. This is not silk’s only application. Its potential is limitless as researchers explore the different ways in which it can be used in biomedical applications. These researchers predict that in the future, silk combined with various synthetic compounds, may be used as knee cartilage cushion replacements as well as structures that hold bones in place after an operation.
Juan Guan, the principal investigator of this project and her colleagues are looking into various ways that will allow them to develop versatile materials that will be used in medicine and possibly, other fields. While other scientists may have come up with composite materials using silk, Guan and her colleagues are on a different path, focusing on silk fabric that is woven from one long thread. The study is using two types of commonly found silk i.e. Bombyx mori, from the domesticated silkworm and the Antheraea pernyi, which comes from a wild species that produces a tougher and stretchy fiber.
This, she explains, is because silkworm cocoons usually contain about 5000-foot-long fibers, which when utilized as a whole in fabric, can better distribute mechanical stress as compared to shorter fibers, which is what other scientists are working with. The researchers then bind this fabric using a polymer matrix, which forms a laminate, making it easier for it to be cut into the desired shapes that the researchers need to continue their research.
Guan as well as her colleagues also state that the features of these materials are a much better fit for human body tissues in comparison to what is in use currently. However, there are challenges that come with using this material in an individual’s body. For instance, the human body is moist on the inside, which may weaken and soften the silk.
Recent experiments that were carried out by the team discovered that while the stiffness of the material decreased in wetter surroundings, the composites still endured and were stiff enough to be able to function as implants. Research on integration of high-performance natural fibers is yet to be complete but the future shows promise, especially with regard to biomedical appliances.
What would biomedical companies like Predictive Oncology (NASDAQ: POAI) do with a blend of silk and several polymers?
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
Silk has an extensive history of being used in medical practices. For example, there exist vast records of doctors in the past using fibers that were spun by silkworms to stitch up patients nearly 200 years ago. Today, surgeons sometimes use silk sutures to finish certain operations, like eye surgeries.
This is mainly because silk is not only safe for use in a human body but is also tolerated well by the human body. In some instances, the body degrades and absorbs it. This is not silk’s only application. Its potential is limitless as researchers explore the different ways in which it can be used in biomedical applications. These researchers predict that in the future, silk combined with various synthetic compounds, may be used as knee cartilage cushion replacements as well as structures that hold bones in place after an operation.
Juan Guan, the principal investigator of this project and her colleagues are looking into various ways that will allow them to develop versatile materials that will be used in medicine and possibly, other fields. While other scientists may have come up with composite materials using silk, Guan and her colleagues are on a different path, focusing on silk fabric that is woven from one long thread. The study is using two types of commonly found silk i.e. Bombyx mori, from the domesticated silkworm and the Antheraea pernyi, which comes from a wild species that produces a tougher and stretchy fiber.
This, she explains, is because silkworm cocoons usually contain about 5000-foot-long fibers, which when utilized as a whole in fabric, can better distribute mechanical stress as compared to shorter fibers, which is what other scientists are working with. The researchers then bind this fabric using a polymer matrix, which forms a laminate, making it easier for it to be cut into the desired shapes that the researchers need to continue their research.
Guan as well as her colleagues also state that the features of these materials are a much better fit for human body tissues in comparison to what is in use currently. However, there are challenges that come with using this material in an individual’s body. For instance, the human body is moist on the inside, which may weaken and soften the silk.
Recent experiments that were carried out by the team discovered that while the stiffness of the material decreased in wetter surroundings, the composites still endured and were stiff enough to be able to function as implants. Research on integration of high-performance natural fibers is yet to be complete but the future shows promise, especially with regard to biomedical appliances.
What would biomedical companies like Predictive Oncology (NASDAQ: POAI) do with a blend of silk and several polymers?
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
