Spider silk can save burns

German scientists claim they have completed the first steps in the effort to turn spider silk into artificial skin.

Skin transplantation is essential in the treatment of burns and some skin diseases. In addition, the patient's skin may be damaged by lying in bed for too long. Each year, about 6.5 million Americans suffer from such skin damage and their treatment costs reach $ 25 billion, Livescience said.

To treat burns, the doctor usually takes the skin from a healthy part of the body to transplant it into the affected area. Because the supply of skin does not meet the need for treatment, scientists are studying the ability to make artificial skin .

Spider silk is the most durable material in nature.

In theory, artificial skin must be accepted by the body, have skin cells to replace lost tissues, be able to gradually decompose after the new skin grows, tough and strong enough to withstand any external forces.

Hanna Wendt, a researcher at Hannover Medical University in Germany, claims many types of artificial skin were born, but none meets all the requirements mentioned above. So Wendt and her colleagues thought of using spider silk to make artificial leather.

Spider silk is the most durable material in nature. It also has many medical values, such as anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, wound healing.

The extraordinary strength and elasticity of spider silk are important factors for all forms of transplantation. Unlike silk, spider silk does not cause rejection reactions of the human body.

After many experiments, Wendt's team found that skin cells can grow on spider silk if provided with proper nutrients, air and temperature. From those cells they can create artificial skin.

Currently, the production of artificial leather from spider silk on an industrial scale is unthinkable, because humans cannot harvest large amounts of spider silk. Wendt thinks that in the future, scientists will find ways to make artificial spider silk with natural spider-like properties. Many research facilities are investigating artificial spider silk fabrication technology.