Spiders in a Spin

The mention of silk may evoke images of ties, parachutes and hell-to-wash expensive shirts; however the remarkable properties of natural silk have prompted research into its many uses in industry and medicine.

The Oxford Silk Group, led by Professor Fritz Vollrath, is studying the biology of spider silks, with the aim of totally unravelling the chemistry, ecology and evolution of these remarkable materials. Most recently the Silk Group has begun examining the physical and chemical properties of silks and the tiny protein components involved in the structure-function relationships of both the finished fibre and its formation.

The Silk Group are also comparing insect and spider silk spinning, providing new insights into the natural extrusion process and the importance of the controlled folding of the component proteins. It was for this type of study that the Oxford Silk Group recently featured on the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility website. In fact the Silk Group has been promoting the wonders of silk to the public for over 30 years in all forms of media, with a crew from The Discovery Channel having just finished filming in its labs.

Furthermore, the Silk Group has been involved in founding spin-out companies such as Oxford Biomaterials Ltd and, most recently, Orthox. This company uses a biomaterial based upon proteins extracted from spider silk to repair cartilage tissue.