Wild Silkworms Produce Proteins Primed for Bioprinting (scientificamerican.com) 9
A mix of silkworms' proteins acts as a scaffold for 3-D-printed tissues and organs. From a report: Many research groups are testing "ink" made from silk proteins to print human tissues, implants and perhaps even organs. The process is a less costly alternative to conventional 3-D printing with collagen, a key protein in the body's natural scaffolding. Researchers in Assam, a state in India, are investigating using local silkworm species for the task -- they recently submitted a patent for bioinks using a combination of proteins extracted from local species Antheraea assamensis and Samia ricini, as well as the commonly used Bombyx mori. The scientists have woven them into synthetic structures ranging from blood vessels to liver lobes; in a paper published in September in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, they described mimicking the cartilage of an entire ear. Silk is a natural polymer, a substance with long, repeating molecular chains. It is mechanically strong and completely biodegradable, well suited for applications in tissue engineering.
To use it, researchers draw liquid silk from the silkworm's glands or dissolve silk fibers in solvents. They carefully mix the gelatinous liquid with a patient's stem cells, then build structures layer by layer with a 3-D printer. After implantation, the cells grow and replace the silken scaffold, which eventually degenerates into amino acids. Extracting and purifying collagen from animal remains, a common medical source, is complex and expensive. "Compared with collagen, silks have an immense advantage in terms of supply and processing. Local sourcing is also a clear plus in their use in India," says David Kaplan, who heads the department of biomedical engineering at Tufts University and is not involved in the new research. Silk from domesticated silkworms has been used widely in bioprinting, but Biman B. Mandal's laboratory at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati in Assam is among the first to incorporate wild silks.
To use it, researchers draw liquid silk from the silkworm's glands or dissolve silk fibers in solvents. They carefully mix the gelatinous liquid with a patient's stem cells, then build structures layer by layer with a 3-D printer. After implantation, the cells grow and replace the silken scaffold, which eventually degenerates into amino acids. Extracting and purifying collagen from animal remains, a common medical source, is complex and expensive. "Compared with collagen, silks have an immense advantage in terms of supply and processing. Local sourcing is also a clear plus in their use in India," says David Kaplan, who heads the department of biomedical engineering at Tufts University and is not involved in the new research. Silk from domesticated silkworms has been used widely in bioprinting, but Biman B. Mandal's laboratory at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati in Assam is among the first to incorporate wild silks.
Now what (Score:2)
Local sourcing is also a clear plus in their use in India
Omfg, when saving lives is at stake, give no weighting to other issues.
"This lifesaving technique is not locally sourced, so we should not use it," said a man, moments before he was strung up.
Re: (Score:2)
So you are willing to pay $50 million to save one life?
You have to way other costs besides just life. Otherwise you let millions die to save one wealthy person.
Spoiler alert (Score:2)
To use it, researchers draw liquid silk from the silkworm's glands or dissolve silk fibers in solvents. They carefully mix the gelatinous liquid with a patient's stem cells, then build structures layer by layer with a 3-D printer.
Pretty sure this is from the final, most horrific level in the upcoming FPS, "Doom: Thy Flesh Recycled".
Re: (Score:2)
I, for one, welcome our new zombie butterfly overlords.
Wild Silkworms (Score:2)
Soon to be ex-wild, then extinct-in-the-wild.
Re: (Score:3)
Good thing people are raising them, then. It's easy to grow mulberry trees in a variety of climates. There's one outside the cabin we live in on the north coast of cali, and it's healthy. I've been, uh, feeding and watering it regularly.
Habitat viability (Score:1)
More medical science that'll never see the light (Score:2)