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SuperSpiderSilkScaffolds: Exemplification of chemically decorated spider silk in wound healing

Reference	BB/N012658/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Neil Thomas
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Dr Sara Goodacre
Institution	University of Nottingham
Department	Sch of Chemistry
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	201,316
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	01/07/2016
End date	09/03/2018
Duration	20 months

Abstract

unavailable

Summary

Spider silk is tougher than steel or Kevlar used in bulletproof vests on a weight per weight basis. It is a biocompatible material that does not cause excess inflammation or a significant immune response making it ideal for use in new wound dressings and scaffolds for tissue regeneration. These could both accelerate healing and potentially reduce permanent scarring. Spider silks are biodegradable and sustainable natural materials composed of a number of different proteins that self-assemble to form fibers and films. Unlike silkworms, spiders cannot be farmed as they are cannibalistic and only recently have reliable recombinant methods been developed. Building on these, we have developed a method of producing spider silk in bacteria which carry antibiotics for keeping wounds free of infection and/or ligands to promote tissue regeneration. We wish to optimize the production of these new silks to promote faster wound healing especially for chronic sores and pressure ulcers as in diabetes.

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Regenerative Biology
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	Follow-On Fund (FOF) [2004-2015]
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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