Silk from moths’ cocoons is being supercharged to develop new materials that could help people recover from heart attacks or skin wounds, and even pin bones together while they heal.

Researchers at the University of NSW are using moth silk to create a ‘microgel’. When this is placed in a living body, it can promote cell growth and tissue regeneration.

Jelena Rnjak-Kovacina is a Scientia Associate Professor and leads the multi-disciplinary group in the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of NSW where they’ve been developing these incredible materials. She joined us this morning to talk about their work.

Related links

Article in the UNSW Newsroom: How supercharged silk could help heal the heart 

Research publication in the Advanced Functional Materials journal:
Photocrosslinked Silk Fibroin Microgel Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications (Adv. Funct. Mater. 29/2024)

To follow future developments, visit Jelena Rnjak-Kovacina on LinkedIn