Scientists develop artificial spider silk or assist in regenerative medicine

[ China Pharmaceutical Network Technology News ] The Swedish research team successfully replicated the silking ability of spiders and developed artificial spider silk which is one of the toughest materials in nature. The research team said that these rayon are biocompatible and may be beneficial for regenerative medicine. Johnson pointed out that artificial spider silk may be used in spinal repair or to cultivate stem cells to repair damaged hearts.

(Scientists develop artificial spider silk or assist with regenerative medicine. Image source: Baidu image)

Soft, light, and biodegradable, it is harder than steel. Researchers said on January 9 that they have successfully developed artificial spider silk, one of the toughest materials in nature.

French International Radio reported on January 10 that AFP reported that the Swedish research team had successfully replicated the silking ability of spiders, using proteins and "spinning equipment" from E. coli to mimic the acid and alkali of spiders. Value changes.

In an interview with AFP, Jan Johansson, co-author of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences research report, said, “This allows us to create artificial spider silk without irritating chemicals for the first time”. He said that the bacteria produced a large amount of protein, allowing people to make 1 km of bionic fiber from a 1 liter E. coli dish.

The research team said that these rayon are biocompatible and may be beneficial for regenerative medicine. Johnson pointed out that artificial spider silk may be used in spinal repair or to cultivate stem cells to repair damaged hearts.

This invention may also be useful in the textile industry, such as making lighter and stronger body protection garments.

After a long period of evolution, spiders are not only 30 times thinner than human hair, but even stronger than the man-made fibers used to make bulletproof vests. Scientists have long tried to replicate all the unique properties of spider silk. Spider silk is essentially composed of a long chain of connected protein molecules.

When the spider is silking, the protein liquid is secreted through the narrow and narrow channels. This process causes the pH value to change and the strength to increase, and the protein molecules are thus linked into a chain. However, spiders are known to be difficult to breed, produce little spider silk, and have the habit of eating each other. (Reporter Wang Lilan)