We study fundamental silk biology and use these insights to develop technologies for both technical and biomedical applications.

By examining how spiders produce, store, and spin their silks, we aim to understand the mechanisms they have evolved—over the past 400 million years—to manage massive protein production, store aggregation-prone proteins at extremely high concentrations, and precisely control rapid polymerization during spinning.

Another research focus is the development of large-scale production methods for artificial silk fibers for industrial use. The fibers we produce are sustainable, biodegradable and can be spun without harsh solvents or high temperatures, unlike many widely used petroleum-based fibers.

We also work on developing artificial spider silk fibers and hydrogels for regenerative medicine. We have successfully cultured numerous types of human stem cells on our scaffolds and demonstrated that these cells can differentiate within the three-dimensional environment of the spider silk matrix.

A fourth research track explores spider silk proteins as tools for efficient production of proteins and peptides. This technology can be used to produce valuable proteins but also to immobilize these in the hydrogels or fibers – thereby making bioactive materials.