http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/video/2012/jul/06/unravel-secret-spider-silk-video
BioMat:
http://www.evobiomat.com/research.html
1. Spider silkSpider silk is a material as strong as steel and as tough as Kevlar, while being very elastic, biodegradable and biocompatible. Therefore, much research has focused on it in the last decades, with the hope to create synthetic silk. But much of silk diversity and evolution remains ignored.
During my PhD in Dr. Todd Blackledge's lab, I found that "modern" spiders, such as orb-weavers, can change the properties of their silk (e.g. strength or stiffness) in function of their environment. I also studied a property called supercontraction. Supercontraction is a response to high humidity, and manifests itself as a major shrinking of silk fibers (up to half their length). It can have important consequences for natural or synthetic silk function, but its mechanism remains hypothetical. I found that supercontraction is associated to a certain silk protein, which is present in only some spiders. While supercontraction is often seen as a hindrance, I discovered that it actually improves orb-web performance.
I am currently measuring vibration transmission in webs and trying to relate it to web architecture and silk mechanics in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Mason from the University of Toronto.
3. Ocular lenses biomechanicsIn order to see both objects that are far away and objects that are close, eyes must "accomodate". Accomodation is mediated by changes in the shape of the ocular lens. Loss of the ability to accomodate results in presbyopia. Accomodation requires the lens to be fairly compliant and elastic. However, how lenses achieve compliance or elasticity is not completely known. Several intermediate filaments (IF) are present in the lens, and likely play a role in lens mechanics. Furthermore, the outer collagen layer of the lens, known as the capsule, may be involved in lens elasticity.
In collaboration with Pr. Paul G. FitzGerald from UC Davis, I am studying the mechanical properties of lenses from genetically modified mice whose eyes lack certain IF in Dr Fudge's lab. I am also developing a finite element model of the cow lens to assess the importance of the capsule for lens mechanics, with the help of Dr. Karen Gordon from the University of Guelph.
BioMat:
http://www.evobiomat.com/research.html
1. Spider silkSpider silk is a material as strong as steel and as tough as Kevlar, while being very elastic, biodegradable and biocompatible. Therefore, much research has focused on it in the last decades, with the hope to create synthetic silk. But much of silk diversity and evolution remains ignored.
During my PhD in Dr. Todd Blackledge's lab, I found that "modern" spiders, such as orb-weavers, can change the properties of their silk (e.g. strength or stiffness) in function of their environment. I also studied a property called supercontraction. Supercontraction is a response to high humidity, and manifests itself as a major shrinking of silk fibers (up to half their length). It can have important consequences for natural or synthetic silk function, but its mechanism remains hypothetical. I found that supercontraction is associated to a certain silk protein, which is present in only some spiders. While supercontraction is often seen as a hindrance, I discovered that it actually improves orb-web performance.
I am currently measuring vibration transmission in webs and trying to relate it to web architecture and silk mechanics in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Mason from the University of Toronto.
3. Ocular lenses biomechanicsIn order to see both objects that are far away and objects that are close, eyes must "accomodate". Accomodation is mediated by changes in the shape of the ocular lens. Loss of the ability to accomodate results in presbyopia. Accomodation requires the lens to be fairly compliant and elastic. However, how lenses achieve compliance or elasticity is not completely known. Several intermediate filaments (IF) are present in the lens, and likely play a role in lens mechanics. Furthermore, the outer collagen layer of the lens, known as the capsule, may be involved in lens elasticity.
In collaboration with Pr. Paul G. FitzGerald from UC Davis, I am studying the mechanical properties of lenses from genetically modified mice whose eyes lack certain IF in Dr Fudge's lab. I am also developing a finite element model of the cow lens to assess the importance of the capsule for lens mechanics, with the help of Dr. Karen Gordon from the University of Guelph.
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