Scientists from IIT Guwahati have synthesised mats made of silk-proteins and bioactive glass fibres that they believe can assist the growth of bone cells and repair worn-out joints in arthritis patients. "We used silk, a natural protein to fabricate electrospun mats to mimic the cartilage portion and bioactive glass to develop a composite material, similar to the natural tissue," said Mandal. The researchers adopted a green fabrication approach for the developing the silk composite mats - electrospinning. To assist the regenerative process, the mats would be grafted in the defected joint with cells harvested from the patient. The mats were tested under laboratory conditions, where artificial tissue formed efficiently during the two weeks of the study, researchers said.

Source: dna August 06, 2017 08:21 UTC