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Russian scientists have created a material for wound healing from "spider silk"
Anastasia Mogilevskaya, "Scientific Russia"
Scientists of the Kurchatov Institute, together with researchers from Lomonosov Moscow State University, Academician V.I. Shumakov NMIC of Transplantology and Artificial Organs, IMB RAS, FNCC FMBA have developed a material for wound healing from the "artificial web".
The "artificial web" is produced by genetically engineered yeast fungi. Bandages based on it heal wounds faster. The "artificial web" restores tissues by stimulating the work of stem cells, which accelerate recovery. It can also prevent the appearance of a scar.
To obtain spider silk, yeast is transplanted with synthesized and edited genes responsible for the production of protein analogues, which spiders use to create a skeleton thread – the most durable component of the web. Russian scientists managed to increase the molecular weight of the protein, which improved the main characteristics of the material.
"The "web" can be used to heal any wounds, since this material stimulates the work of stem cells contained in all types of tissues. They act as a kind of "duty repairmen" – they begin to act in any "accident", stimulate all kinds of vascular and nerve growth factors, cause the proliferation of new cells. As a result, the regeneration of body tissues occurs," said Vladimir Bogush, a leading researcher at the Kurchatov Institute Research Center.
Spider silk is very durable and lightweight, it surpasses any man-made materials in these characteristics. Its proteins are completely biocompatible with the human body.
So far, it is quite difficult to get an "artificial web", so the specialists of the NMIC of Transplantology and Artificial Organs named after Academician V.I. Shumakov mixed "spider silk" with silk of the silkworm, which is easy to produce and affordable. Experiments on mice have shown that the resulting material also has high regenerative properties.
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