A new study has demonstrated that AMSilk engineered vegan spider silk coatings have the potential to prevent inflammation and reduce post-operative complications of implants. AMSilk is one of the world’s first industrial suppliers of vegan silk biopolymers, with results showing the repellence properties of its coatings reduced microbial adherence up to 99.7%.
The study, published in the MRS Communications journal, was led by Professor Thomas Scheibel, Professor of Biomaterials and Head of the Department at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. His team tested the microbe repellence of AMSilk engineered spider silk coatings on a number of silicone implant materials against bacterial strains. The results proved the vegan spider silk coatings work by creating an anti-adhesive “bioshield” thus reducing the chance of infections considerably.
Headquartered in Munich, AMSilk claims that together with its biocompatibility and biodegradability properties, its spider silk has the potential to be part of a strategy to prevent infection-caused inflammation and to reduce complications of implant applications post-surgery. The coatings are biocompatible and safe, making them suitable for various medical applications, according to the company.
“In the near future, we will need new directions concerning the fight against infections, which have to be far beyond the simple use of antibiotics. In this respect, coatings made of AMSilk silk proteins are one important step towards a new generation of anti-fouling and at the same time biocompatible surfaces,” explained Professor Scheibel.
