Biotechnology of Silk

Abstract

Silks continue to attract attention of researchers in biology, biochemistry, bio- physics, analytical chemistry, polymer technology, textile technology and tissue engineering. Increase in the number of papers in spider silk research is remarkable today. Advances in silk research provide many new insights into silk proteins and the properties. This book is a snapshot of the current state of the art of research and development on the properties and characteristics of silk and their use in medicine and industry. The field encompasses backyard silk production from ancient time to industrial methods in the modern era and includes an example of efforts to maintain silk production in Madagascar. Once revered as worth its weight in gold, silk has captured the imagination from its mythical origins onwards. The latest methods in molecular biology have opened newdescriptions of the underlying properties of silk. Advances in technological innovation have created silk production by microbes as the latest breakthrough in the saga of silk research and development. The application of silk to biomaterials is now very active on the basis of excellent properties of silks including recombinant silks.