An interdisciplinary team led by a chemist and a spider expert worked for five years to create a synthetic spider silk with antimicrobial properties, according to recent study published in the journal Advanced Materials.
Spider silk is made up of chains of amino acids. The substance, known for its durability, is also biocompatible and biodegradable.
The medicinal qualities of spider silk have been known for centuries. The Greeks and Romans applied spider webs to the wounds of soldiers to aid in blood coagulation.
To create the new synthetic spider silk, researchers produced silk proteins in bacteria with an additional amino acid not typically found in proteins. Researchers found the resulting silk could be used to create a biodegradable mesh capable of accelerating the growth of new tissue, while also slowly release antibiotics.
"There is the possibility of using the silk in advanced dressings for the treatment of slow-healing wounds such as diabetic ulcers," said one of the project leaders Neil Thomas, PhD, a professor of medicinal and biological chemistry at the University of Nottingham in the U.K. "Using our technique infection could be prevented over weeks or months by the controlled release of antibiotics."
More articles on infection control:
MRSA rates drop significantly at VA facilities, likely due to active surveillance initiative
5 emerging infectious diseases to keep an eye on in 2017
Arkansas mumps outbreak now over 2,400