Silk Protein-Based Functional and Innovative Materials for Biomedical Applications
A special issue of Journal of Functional Biomaterials (ISSN 2079-4983). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials and Devices for Healthcare Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 686
Special Issue Editors
Interests: biomaterials; nanomaterials; bioengineering; drug delivery; molecular biology
Interests: organic electronics; biomaterials; biochemistry; biosensing; unconventional computing
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Silk is a natural biopolymer. In modern times, the optimization of silkworm (Bombyx mori) breeding has allowed for its large-scale production, thanks to technological advancements and genetic modifications, which have improved the material’s final quality. Raw silkworm silk is composed of 70-80% fibroin and 20-30% sericin.
Silk fibroin (SF) fibers can be processed to obtain aqueous solutions of regenerable fibroin, which can be used to produce materials with varying mechanical and morphological properties, such as films, hydrogels, porous structures, and nanoparticles. Silk fibroin-based materials are increasingly studied for applications in biomedicine, biotechnology, optics, and electronics. The exceptional biocompatibility of SF, along with its excellent mechanical properties, is one of its most extensively researched and characteristic features. SF exhibits low allergenicity and immunogenicity, and its use as a biomaterial has recently been approved by the FDA.
Silk sericin (SS) has recently transitioned from a mere byproduct of silk manufacturing to a material of significant interest, driven by the principles of circular economy and improved waste management. SS has also unlocked its potential for diverse applications, including tissue engineering, drug delivery, cosmetics, and sensing. Similarly to its well-known counterpart, sericin exhibits biocompatibility, biodegradability, and anti-inflammatory/antioxidative properties. Moreover, FDA’s approval has recently been granted for SS, paving the way for expanded applications of sericin in material science and biotechnology.
This Special Issue aims to fulfill recent and groundbreaking advances in silk protein-based biomaterials. We invite original manuscripts focusing on SF- and/or SS-based materials’/compounds’ functionality, characterization, applications and design. Furthermore, we will welcome research articles and review papers related to silk proteins. To all the potential contributors of this Special Issue, JFB looks forward to receiving your submissions.
Dr. Giuseppe De Giorgio
Dr. Giuseppe Tarabella
Dr. Davide Vurro
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Functional Biomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- biomaterials
- bioengineering
- bioelectronics
- drug delivery platforms
- three-dimensional printing
- innovative manufacturing
- silk proteins
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