The past 20 years have witnessed ever-growing evidence that the mechanical properties of
biological tissues, from nanoscale to macroscale dimensions, are fundamental for cellular …

Transdermal microneedle (MN) patches are a promising tool used to transport a wide variety
of active compounds into the skin. To serve as a substitute for common hypodermic needles …

Load-bearing tissues, such as muscle and cartilage, exhibit high elasticity, high toughness
and fast recovery, but have different stiffness (with cartilage being significantly stiffer than …

Spider silk is a natural polymeric fiber with high tensile strength, toughness, and has distinct
thermal, optical, and biocompatible properties. The mechanical properties of spider silk are …

Collagen, the most abundant extracellular matrix protein in animal kingdom belongs to a
family of fibrous proteins, which transfer load in tissues and which provide a highly …

The dermal extracellular matrix (ECM) comprises the bulk of skin and confers strength and
resiliency. In young skin, fibroblasts produce and adhere to the dermal ECM, which is …

All spiders produce protein-based biopolymer fibres that we call silk. The most studied of
these silks is spider dragline silk, which is very tough and relatively abundant compared with …

Collagen-peptide supplementation could be an effective remedy to improve hydration,
elasticity, and wrinkling in human skin. The aim of this study was to conduct a double-blind …

Human tissues must be elastic, much like other materials that work under continuous loads
without losing functionality. The elasticity of tissues is provided by elastin, a unique protein of …

There is an urgent need to improve the sustainability of the materials we produce and use.
Here, we explore what humans can learn from nature about how to sustainably fabricate …