This project represents the first use of simulations to understand silk production at the molecular level. “Simulation is critical,” Buehler explained.” Actually synthesizing a protein can take several months; if that protein doesn’t turn out to have exactly the right properties, the process would have to start all over.”
Using simulations makes it possible to “scan through a large range of proteins until we see changes in the fiber stiffness,” and then home in on those compounds, said Lin, who worked on the project as a post-doctorate at MIT and is now an assistant professor at Florida State University. (SH)
Fibre2fashion News Desk – India