Nanometre-Thick Fabrics Offer Strength and Elasticity

A three-dimensional rendering of folded nanofabrics demonstrates that the ripples and folds are similar to those observed in macroscale fishing nets.

Researchers at Harvard University have developed a stretchy fabric made by linking together the proteins found in muscle tissue. Eventually, the material developed in the laboratory of Kevin Kit Parker could provide a scaffold for growing tissue for the heart and other organs. In addition, the material can be used to create high-performance textiles that could be used  for coating bandages to promote healing.

As reported in MIT’s Technology Review, Parker’s protein nanofabrics is made by depositing fibronectin—a strong, stretchy protein secreted by cells that acts as a supportive scaffold—on top of a water-repelling polymer surface. After the normally bundled proteins unravel, they are stamped onto a dissolvable water-attracting polymer sheet on top of a piece of glass. Adding water and warming the mixture to room temperature causes the proteins to link together to form the fabric. It also dissolves the polymer so that the fabric can be peeled away and collected.

The team has made swatches of material 10 nm thick and approximately 2.5 cm wide. By using different proteins or changing the way they are aligned, the scientists can control the fabric’s mechanical characteristics.

The research team can program direction cues into the architecture of the scaffold and thus direct the growth of cells in the desired direction by building the scaffold from the protein up. Using natural proteins rather than synthetic polymers or decellularised organs reduces the likelihood that the new tissue will be rejected once it is implanted.

In one experiment, the research team grew heart muscle cells on top of a piece of finished fabric. The fabric caused the muscle cells to link together to form a tissue that “beat” for a week when it was stimulated electrically.

Tags: fibronectin, Harvard University, Kevin Kit Parker, scaffold