Fibrous Protein Fusions and Use Thereof in the Formation of Advanced Organic/Inorganic Composite Materials
In the United States, 2.5 million orthopedic and plastic reconstructions, including bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament, and breast, are performed annually. Most bone repair procedures require a replacement structure to restore tissue function, including total substitutes (artificial joints), or tissue harvested from a second anatomic location of the same patient or from other patients and transplanted to the compromised area. Tissue engineering can provide an alternative to traditional treatment protocols by replacing living tissue with tissue grown in vitro that is designed and engineered to meet the needs of each individual patient and repair site. Hydroxyapatite is chemically similar to the mineral component of bones and hard tissues in mammals. It is one of few materials that are classed as bioactive, meaning that it will support bone ingrowth and osseointegration when used in orthopaedic, dental and maxillofacial applications.
Description/Details
The dragline silk of the spider Nephila clavipes has a high tensile strength that is comparable to that of the synthetic superfiber Kevlar, but it additionally shows high elasticity. When it is combined with functional units from other protein, it may have new property. In this invention, various domains of a protein named dentin matrix protein 1 involved in mineralization were fused to polypeptide domains coding for spider silk. The fusion polypeptides of the present invention can be used for the production of silk biomaterials e.g., fibers, films, foams and mats. These fusion proteins can be used for in-vitro and in-vivo mineralization experiments to form hydroxyapatite, which is the main inorganic component in teeth and bones.
Applications
- Bone tissue engineering
- Dental applications
- Other applications which involve Hydroxyapatite
Benefits
- Silk protein is called bio steel and its strength and elasticity will be appreciated very well in many applications while the medical treatments and applications of hydroxyapatite by current available technologies are still not tolerable for long term.
- The fusion of spider silk and dentin matrix protein 1 can be a breakthrough technology for the industrial, medical, or any other cases where stable and long-term hydroxyapatite treatment is necessary.