An interdisciplinary work has resulted in functionalized artificial spider silk using E.colibacteria. Scientists at the United Kingdom-based Nottingham University have utilized a concept called "click chemistry," to synthesize antibiotic spider silk. Professor of the School of Chemistry collaborated with life scientist and her team in the research. Recombinant silk fibers functionalized with levofloxacin was able to retain its antibacterial activity by slow release for up to five days after functionalization. According to Professor, the biocompatible fibers can find applications in tissue engineering and biomedicine. The structure serves as scaffolds for cell growth and provides antimicrobial properties due to the presence of antibacterial agents, by slow release mechanism. This work involved the synthesis of silk protein in a bacterium, where an amino acid not found in protein was added. This amino acid has an azide group, which helps with the click reaction resulting in the functionalized artificial silk. The research was funded by the United Kingdom's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and has appeared in a recent issue of the online journal Advanced Materials.
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