A protective membrane for cardiac pacemakers has proved successful in animal trials in reducing the undesirable build-up of fibrotic tissue around the implant
Protection for pacemakers
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Natural Materials
Breaking the mystery of bone micro-architecture
Researchers discover a feature of bone responsible for its longevity that could lead to advances in ultra-lightweight material design
Using decoys to fight autoimmune diseases
A material that mimics the organs targeted by autoimmune cells could draw these cells away from vulnerable body tissues
Cells thrive in blood-based bioink
3D bioprinted structures made with human platelet-derived bioink are particularly hospitable to cells, promoting proliferation without the need for animal products
Spider silk stitches up antibacterial coatings
Coating silk sutures with antimicrobial spider silk proteins could alleviate the problem of post-surgical infection
Cracking the mystery of nature’s toughest material
Using an electron microscope, scientists have uncovered the mechanisms that make nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, so hard and resilient
Disordered proteins can make ‘super-sticky’ materials
Stable materials can be created from disordered proteins by altering the environmental triggers that cause them to undergo phase transitions
Silk-based sensor analyses sweat biomarkers in real time
New device could be used in health-monitoring applications and even to detect diseases such as diabetes
New silk materials put wrinkle into pattern creation
Researchers have developed silk materials that can wrinkle into highly detailed patterns, which can be erased by flooding the silk surface with vapor