Obstacles and Limitations
Interesting topic! There are several more difficulties when it comes to the artificial development of spider silk. First, the spiders have seven glands that produce the components of this fascinating material, and different genes are expressed in the cells of different glands. It would be a problem to identify and transfer all the genes in another organism and make them functional, but once it is done, this material could really bring a revolution in many fields of industry.
The use of spider silk would be limited to some cases where strong and biodegradable material is needed, but not for long–term purposes. Namely, the dust and exposure to air, damage this material very quickly and it becomes fragile. Spider silk has about 50% protein content and it is insoluble in water. These properties are going to be the target of future studies in order to modify them and make this material more appropriate for wide use.
Light Conductivity
Microchips and sensors have already entered serious studies with the aim to be used to improve human vision, hearing, movement, and other functions, but now, we have the opportunity to use the product of a living creature to develop new microchips. An interesting property of spider silk to conduct light was recently discovered. Scientists believe that the implementation of this material into the microchip could bring great benefit as spider silk can not only conduct light, but also redirect and divert light to different parts of the chip. These chips would be less expensive than the standard chips with glass microfibers, and could be used for the detection of presence of some molecules in blood samples.
The Competitor
In the world of biomaterials, the greatest competitor of spider silk is Hagfish protein. Namely, Hagfish produce a protein which has similar mechanical characteristics as spider silk. Scientists at Shoals Marine Lab claim that this material has simpler chemical structure than spider silk, and that it could be less expensive for mass production.
Interesting topic! There are several more difficulties when it comes to the artificial development of spider silk. First, the spiders have seven glands that produce the components of this fascinating material, and different genes are expressed in the cells of different glands. It would be a problem to identify and transfer all the genes in another organism and make them functional, but once it is done, this material could really bring a revolution in many fields of industry.
The use of spider silk would be limited to some cases where strong and biodegradable material is needed, but not for long–term purposes. Namely, the dust and exposure to air, damage this material very quickly and it becomes fragile. Spider silk has about 50% protein content and it is insoluble in water. These properties are going to be the target of future studies in order to modify them and make this material more appropriate for wide use.
Light Conductivity
Microchips and sensors have already entered serious studies with the aim to be used to improve human vision, hearing, movement, and other functions, but now, we have the opportunity to use the product of a living creature to develop new microchips. An interesting property of spider silk to conduct light was recently discovered. Scientists believe that the implementation of this material into the microchip could bring great benefit as spider silk can not only conduct light, but also redirect and divert light to different parts of the chip. These chips would be less expensive than the standard chips with glass microfibers, and could be used for the detection of presence of some molecules in blood samples.
The Competitor
In the world of biomaterials, the greatest competitor of spider silk is Hagfish protein. Namely, Hagfish produce a protein which has similar mechanical characteristics as spider silk. Scientists at Shoals Marine Lab claim that this material has simpler chemical structure than spider silk, and that it could be less expensive for mass production.
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