FURI | Fall 2023

Analyzing Natural Silk’s Degradability: Assessing its Suitability in Engineering Fracture Fixation Devices

The research involves domestically farming Bombyx mori silkworms from egg to cocoon stage, extracting of natural silk from the cocoons, and examining its degradation rates. Using natural silk as a biomaterial in fracture fixation devices like bone screws can facilitate the healing of fractured bones, retain the mechanical strength of the newly formed bone tissue, and allow degradation of the fixation device upon complete regeneration of the bone. While properties of silk like high biocompatibility and strong mechanical and tensile strength make it an advantageous material, researchers aim to attain a practical understanding of its degradative nature in response to enzymes and chemicals.