Nat commun: Bioengineering of micro cocoon protection drug molecules has amazing effect!

July 25, 2017 / BIOON / -- scientists have created a miniature cocoon that can protect sensitive drug molecules from degradation during storage and release They hope the technology will extend the life of drugs stored and help treat cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and so on (picture from Com) for scientists, it's a common way to find inspiration from nature for human life In the past, scientists were inspired by enzymatic reactions in nature to produce energy and cactus to store water Now, we use the natural characteristics of silkworm chrysalis to make a carrier suitable for small molecules "Many drugs have excellent therapeutic effects, but they are less stable and difficult to store This is a common problem in medical practice, "said Tuomas Knowles, lead author of the study from Cambridge University Therefore, they hope that cocoons can help prolong the life of drug molecules Because silk is a kind of biodegradable remnant and its production cost is low, it has been used to make other surgical supplies, including brain grafts, optical equipment, Xibao's home, sticky glue and so on The safety of the modified material has been proved In order to transform the cocoon for human use, researchers have used a unique micro engineering technology to produce a micro simulation cocoon, the volume of which is one thousandth of the natural cocoon After that, the researchers tested the protective effect of the cocoon on antibodies As we all know, antibody is the most difficult type of drug to preserve At a high concentration, the antibodies tend to aggregate, which is difficult to maintain the original stability "By wrapping the antibody inside the cocoon, we can significantly increase its life span, and also expand the scope of use of antibody drugs," Knowles said "We are very pleased that the modified micro materials can achieve new uses." The results were published in nature communications (bio.com) information source: microscopic silk cocoons provide a safe haven for sensitive movements original source: ulyana shimanovich et al Silk microcoons for protein stabilization and mobile encryption Nature communications (2017) 8, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15902