Macromol. Biosci. 9/2010

Abstract

Back Cover: (Bio)polymers, such as spider silk, allow applications in biomedicine due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical properties. Upon polymer processing, spider silk proteins can adopt various morphologies, for example, particles, non‐wovens, and membranes among others. These properties make silk‐based materials good candidates for biomedical applications, such as drug delivery systems and scaffolds for tissue engineering. Further details can be found in the feature article by K. Spiess, A. Lammel, and T. Scheibel* .

Spider Silk Coatings as a Bioshield to Reduce Periprosthetic Fibrous Capsule Formation

“…The genes of transforming growth factors β1, β2, and β3, responsible for triggering of cell proliferation, collagen www.afm-journal.de www.MaterialsViews.com wileyonlinelibrary.comsolution for 120 s and air drying for 120 s. This procedure induces β-sheet formation rendering the silk coating water insoluble. [10][11][12] All test items were subsequently rinsed with 0.9% w/v NaCl. Miniaturized implants for in vivo experiments were sealed in sterile containers together with 500 µL fresh 0.9% NaCl solution.…”

“…Here, we tested recombinant spider silk due to its general excellent biocompatibility and the mechanical resilience ( Figure 1 A). [ 10 ] A protein of the silk of the European garden spider Araneus diadematus has been previously used as a blueprint for the design of the recombinant spider silk protein eADF4(C16). [ 11 ] Recently, the protein has passed a series of preclinical safety tests including acute systemic toxicology and immunogenicity with no dose-limiting ( Figure 2 A-D).…”

Spider silk foam coating of fabric

“…However, due to the cannibalistic behavior of most spider species, sericulture or farming is not possible to access this fascinating material. Recombinant production of silk proteins enabled for the first time to produce sufficient amounts of the materials and to develop applications thereof [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11].…”

Current progress and limitations of spider silk for biomedical applications

“…All these different applications put different and sometimes complex demands on the material to be used, and not surprisingly there are several types of biomaterials currently in use or under development. [1][2][3] Recombinant spider silk has been suggested 4,5 to…”