title: Regenerated silk materials for functionalized silk orthopedic devices by mimicking natural processing.
abstract: Silk fibers spun by silkworms and spiders exhibit exceptional mechanical properties with a unique combination of strength, extensibility and toughness. In contrast, the mechanical properties of regenerated silk materials can be tuned through control of the fabrication process. Here we introduce a biomimetic, all-aqueous process, to obtain bulk regenerated silk-based materials for the fabrication of functionalized orthopedic devices. The silk materials generated in the process replicate the nano-scale structure of natural silk fibers and possess excellent mechanical properties. The biomimetic materials demonstrate excellent machinability, providing a path towards the fabrication of a new family of resorbable orthopedic devices where organic solvents are avoided, thus allowing functionalization with bioactive molecules to promote bone remodeling and integration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby St. Medford, MA 02155, USA.
authors.forename: Chunmei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby St. Medford, MA 02155, USA.
authors.forename: Blake
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hotz
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby St. Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Shengjie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby St. Medford, MA 02155, USA.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby St. Medford, MA 02155, USA.
authors.forename: Dylan S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby St. Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Benedetto
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby St. Medford, MA 02155, USA.
authors.forename: Fiorenzo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Omenetto
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Samuel J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby St. Medford, MA 02155, USA. Electronic address: david.kaplan@tufts.edu.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D032701:Biomimetics / Q000379:methods*; D055396:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D016723:Bone Remodeling; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D005349:Fibroins / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D009984:Orthopedic Fixation Devices; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D055396:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2; D005349:Fibroins
keywords: Biomimetic; Orthopedic; Self assembly; Silk