After a long five years of research and experiment, scientists in the UK has come up with this major breakthrough which involves the revolutionary approach to infusing artificial spider silk with antibiotic properties for some novel medical purposes. Scientists at the University of Nottingham in the UK have come up with a new type of synthetic version which can be effective for drug delivery, Regenerative medicines and healing wound. A team of UK-based scientists, for the first time, have formulated a synthetic spider silk suffused with antibiotic which can be efficiently utilized for drug delivery, regenerative tablets and wound healing.
Researchers in their research paper, have shown, how to use the ‘click-chemistry’ to put molecules, like antibiotics and fluorescent dyes together, for artificially creating spider silk synthesized by E coli bacteria. This synthesized method can help in delivering the drugs and heal the wounds with least risk of infectivity. In the new material, the scientists took silk, which later synthesized from E. coli bacteria, and attached the molecules to its formation, suffusing it with multiple elements that eventually formulate a better bandage.
As per the researchers, the invention might seem odd because of the spider silk, but spider silk is an extremely incredible object that can be used for multiple fast aid tasks. It is loaded with biocompatible, biodegradable, proteins which can heal wounds more quickly than other properties. Moreover, the use of Spider silk also lacks any sort of invulnerable, provocative and sensitive reactions. As said by the research team, the use of spider silk for dressing and aiding wounds and injuries dates back the antique Greeks and Romans eras, where the material was used for dressing the injuries and abrasions of soldiers for preventing bleeding.
The process of healing wounds generally involved the utilization of a honey-vinegar combination that works as an antiseptic. It keeps the wound clean which later wrapped by using the wads of spider silk for avoiding infection. The research team of the University of Nottingham basically followed this concept and modernized it by infusing it with high-end technology. Rather than using actual spider silk, they tested synthetic spider silk and the result comes positive.
The experiment was led by Neil Thomas and Sara Goodacre from UK’s University of Nottingham and was published in the journal of ‘Advanced Materials.’