In the field of biomedical materials, silk fibroin, and chitosan have attracted much attention due to their unique physical and chemical properties. Recently, Jennifer Prestipino, an applied scientist at Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Dr. Viviana Posada, a principal investigator, shared their latest research results on these two biomaterials and how to enhance their applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering through nanotechnology.

From silk to a breakthrough in drug delivery

Silk fibroin is a natural protein extracted from silkworm cocoons, and is an ideal material in the biomedical field due to its high biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and strong encapsulation ability. Prestipino pointed out that the β-sheet structure of silk fibroin gives it excellent strength and elasticity, enabling the controlled and sustained release of drugs. In addition, the chemical and structural modifiability of silk fibroin allows it to be customized for specific therapeutic applications, whether it is targeted delivery or controlled release.

"Silk fibroin has great potential for drug delivery," Prestipino said. "We found through experiments that silk fibroin can effectively encapsulate drugs, such as acetaminophen. Through UV-visible spectroscopy analysis, we can accurately measure the encapsulation efficiency of drugs to evaluate their feasibility for practical applications."

Nanotechnology helps with antibacterial and cell arrangement.

Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide that has attracted attention for its potential in antibacterial and cell alignment. Dr. Posada's research team created nanostructures on the surface of chitosan through plasma nanosynthesis technology to optimize its antibacterial properties and cell attachment ability. The study showed that the nano-modified chitosan surface can significantly reduce bacterial growth while promoting orderly cell alignment.

"Nanoscale surface modification is critical to optimizing the interaction of biomaterials with their biological environment," Dr. Posada explained. "We found that by changing the orientation of the nanostructures, we can direct the direction of cell alignment, which has important implications for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine."

The future of drug delivery systems

Prestipino emphasized that a successful drug delivery system needs to meet core criteria such as biocompatibility, drug loading capacity, targeted delivery, and controlled release. She pointed out that silk fibroin performs well in these aspects and is a natural polymer drug delivery material with great potential. In addition, Thermo Fisher Scientific's NanoDrop Eight spectrophotometer provides an efficient and accurate solution for measuring drug encapsulation efficiency, which can significantly reduce measurement errors.

Nanotechnology leads to innovation in biomaterials.

Dr. Posada's research further demonstrates the great potential of nanotechnology in biomaterial modification. Through plasma nanosynthesis, the surface properties of silk fibroin and chitosan have been significantly optimized, thereby enhancing their performance in biomedical applications. These research results not only provide new ideas for drug delivery and tissue engineering but also provide an important theoretical basis for the design and development of future biomaterials.

As a global leading scientific service company, Thermo Fisher Scientific is committed to promoting the development of biomedicine through innovative technologies. Its advanced UV-visible spectrometers and nanotechnology platforms provide researchers with powerful tools to help them achieve breakthroughs in biomaterials and drug delivery.

To learn more about Thermo Fisher Scientific's research results and technology applications, please visit its official website.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific is a leading global scientific service company, dedicated to providing a wide range of products and services to help scientists and engineers accelerate discovery and innovation. Its product line covers UV-visible spectrometers, nanotechnology platforms, and a variety of biomedical research tools, which are widely used in scientific research, medical and industrial fields.

About the researchers

Jennifer Prestipino is an applied scientist at Thermo Fisher Scientific, focusing on the research and application of NanoDrop UV-Vis spectrophotometers. Dr. Viviana Posada is a principal investigator at the BioAdvanced NanoSurfaces Research Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University, focusing on the application of nanotechnology in biomaterials.