Humans have long appreciated silk for its lustrous appeal and remarkable physical properties, yet as the mysteries of silk are unraveled, it becomes clear that this outstanding biopolymer is more than a high-tech fiber. 

This talk will address the historical background to silk and its uses (including the long-standing desire to reverse engineer silk), biocompatibility and biodegradation with a specific focus of silk performance in humans.

We will then move on to current clinical uses of silk (e.g., sutures, surgical meshes, fabrics), clinical trials (e.g., wound healing, tissue engineering) and emerging biomedical applications of silk across selected formats, such as silk solution, films, scaffolds, electrospun materials, hydrogels, and particles.

A fascinating tour of one an incredibly exciting biomedical material. We hope you can join us for a visit to the fascinating world of silk!