biomaterials

WashU engineers used synthetic biology to create SAM — a protein fiber combining mussel, spider silk, and amyloid sequences — that dissolves in formic acid within seconds and can be remade into equally strong fibers across multiple recycling cycles.

A collaboration between VML, The Organoid Company, and Lab-Grown Leather Ltd. has produced the first handbag from material engineered using reconstructed Tyrannosaurus rex collagen sequences, but paleontologists challenge the project's scientific framing.