create a hybrid material that can then be used as a `` scaffold '' on which to grow new bone and tooth cells . Why silk ? Because not only is it extremely tough -- its tensile strength is six times that of steel fibre of an equal diameter -- but also bio-compatible , meaning it does not cause an adverse reaction when introduced into the human body . `` We are playing around with silk from silk worms , '' one of Kaplan 's collaborators , Professor Carole Perry of Nottingham Trent University in the UK , told CNN , `` But the bulk of our work is using fusion proteins derived from spider silk . '' The science is complex -- osteogenic differentiation , chimeric proteins and novel nanocomposites are just a few of the terms involved -- but the basic idea is that , working at a molecular level , you combine elements of silk protein with those of some other protein with desirable properties to create the building blocks of an entirely new material . This material -- precisely what form it will take is as yet uncertain -- will then be used to fill a
What do Spiderman , Al Capone 's silk boxer shorts and a waterproof hiking jacket have in common ? Spider silk is being used in pioneering research to regrow damaged bones and teeth Answer : they are all , in their own way , helping to push forward the boundaries of modern medical science . More specifically , two separate research teams in the U.S. have been using materials normally associated with clothing -LRB- and a certain arachnid superhero -RRB- to provide novel , high-tech solutions to age-old health problems . At Tufts University , Massachusetts scientists are pioneering a method of manipulating spider silk to genetically engineer new bone tissue , thus allowing them -- in theory -- to re-grow damaged bones and teeth . At Rush University , Indiana , meanwhile , a team of cardiologists are trialing a device made of Gore-Tex -- the waterproof fabric used in much outdoor clothing -- to help repair holes in the human heart . The Tufts research , headed by Professor David Kaplan of the Department of Biomedical Engineering , is focusing on ways of using silk -- or rather the constituent proteins of which silk is made -- to