In
England I was going to visit people relating to two different areas; silk
proteins and protein electrochemists.
Prof
Fritz Volrath and Dr Chris Hollande study how insects process silk proteins to
make different materials. From their insights into how spiders spin their silk
they have established a company Oxford Biomaterials which uses silkworm
cocoons. The firstly reconstitute the silk and then use the protein to produce new
materials for regenerative medicine. Their fine control over the mechanical
properties of the silk protein allows them to produce unique materials, some of
which are currently under clinical trials.
The second skill set that I was seeking to
learn more about is protein electrochemistry. England in particular Oxford
University has a very rich tradition in this area. It was in the Inorganic
Chemistry Laboratories at Oxford that the breakthrough was made by Allen Hill
and co-workers which enabled the development of blood glucose meters as we know
them today. These sensors are what is known at mediated sensors (or
second-generation biosensors).
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