October 23, 2015
Silk: A Trailblazer of Regenerative Medicine
Silk is among the most valued fabrics across the world, for centuries we have admired its properties: strength, texture, and durability. These same properties are also desirable in biomaterials to develop artificial organs and tissue. The materials commonly used for these purposes have several shortcomings, among which are longevity and tensile strength unlike that of tissue. Silk can be manipulated to achieve a desirable degradation rate and strength to resemble real tissue. This past summer I learned how to prepare silk particles, starting with the raw cocoon to medical grade micro-particles which can be used to regenerate small volume soft tissue defects. I analyzed the secondary structure of silk solution to determine reproducibility, manufacture-size scaling, and usability. The results are essential for estimating particle structure, proper function in situ and allow us to make protocol adjustments for product optimization. While I have studied these techniques I had never applied them, until this summer. My training went beyond what is expected of an undergraduate and I learned how to cope in a fast paced environment. My presentation focuses on the research I conducted and my experience as an undergraduate student in a startup company.
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