At Arizona State University, researchers are advancing the use of silk for medical purposes. Led by Professor Jeff Yarger from the School of Molecular Sciences and Professor Kaushal Rege from the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, their team is exploring how both silkworm and spider silk can be used to improve wound healing.
The team’s research, published in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, shows that silkworm silk can be optimized for faster recovery and reduced infection risk in wound care. “We’ve been studying silks for years; their structure, their dynamics and what makes them so unique,” said Yarger. “Kaushal and I have been collaborating for a long time. He’s the medical expert with NIH funding for wound-healing applications, and my group focuses on the fundamental physics and chemistry of silk itself. Together, we’re trying to connect how silk’s molecular structure relates to its real-world performance.”
Rege added: “Our studies have led to a more comprehensive understanding of how processing of natural proteins like silk can be used to modulate their structure and activity for engaging the immune system, leading to effective tissue repair and wound healing.”
Building on these findings, the team is now focusing on spider silk—specifically from spider egg cases—which may offer new possibilities due to its different protein structures.
Silk’s appeal comes from its molecular makeup that combines strength with flexibility while being compatible with human tissue. Spider silk is known for its high tensile strength—at least five times stronger than steel by weight—and elasticity. Both spider and silkworm silks are biocompatible and biodegradable, meaning they do not cause strong immune reactions or require removal after healing.
The ASU researchers are developing advanced tissue-repair systems called laser-activated sealants (LASEs). These use silk fibroin as a matrix embedded with gold nanorods or dyes like indocyanine green. When exposed to near-infrared laser light, this mixture quickly seals wounds without needles or sutures.
In preclinical tests, these LASEs closed wounds in seconds with biomechanical strength equal or superior to traditional methods while also reducing leakage in internal repairs. This approach aims to lower trauma during closure procedures.
Preventing surgical-site infections remains challenging—especially those caused by drug-resistant bacteria such as MRSA. The research shows that antibiotics like vancomycin can be incorporated into the LASEs for sustained release at wound sites.
“Spider egg case silk has mechanical properties that are more similar to human tendons,” Yarger said. “It’s extremely tough and flexible — qualities you’d want in medical sutures or tissue scaffolds.” He explained further: “Each spider species produces several types of silk… We’re working to characterize underexplored kinds, such as egg-case silks and even adhesive silks to see which can be synthetically replicated for large-scale use.”
Undergraduate student Mary Lewis leads a project examining jumping spider silk—a type not typically studied since these spiders do not build webs but instead use safety lines when leaping. Early results suggest this type could match or surpass orb-weaver species’ performance.
Looking ahead five to ten years, ASU scientists hope their work will support new regenerative medicine strategies using porous 3D silk structures that encourage cell growth in damaged tissues or organs. They aim eventually to engineer personalized dressings containing peptides tailored for individual patients’ needs.
Arizona State University continues its record as an innovator; it was named number one in innovation eight consecutive years according to U.S. News & World Report rankings (https://news.asu.edu/20220911-university-news-asu-no-1-innovation-us-news-world-report-eighth-year?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=asu&utm_campaign=ASURankings&utm_term=USNWR).
Yarger summarized: “Our work is about decoding nature’s design… If we can understand what makes these silks so extraordinary — and learn to replicate that — we can create sustainable, medical-grade materials that outperform anything we make today.”
Through efforts at ASU labs such as those led by Yarger and Rege, natural proteins like silk may soon enable safer and more effective approaches in wound healing.
