0:00:00.000,0:00:02.000 Thank you. 0:00:02.000,0:00:04.000 I'm thrilled to be here. 0:00:04.000,0:00:07.000 I'm going to talk about a new, old material 0:00:07.000,0:00:09.000 that still continues to amaze us, 0:00:09.000,0:00:11.000 and that might impact the way we think 0:00:11.000,0:00:14.000 about material science, high technology -- 0:00:14.000,0:00:16.000 and maybe, along the way, 0:00:16.000,0:00:19.000 also do some stuff for medicine and for global health and help reforestation. 0:00:19.000,0:00:21.000 So that's kind of a bold statement. 0:00:21.000,0:00:23.000 I'll tell you a little bit more. 0:00:23.000,0:00:26.000 This material actually has some traits that make it seem almost too good to be true. 0:00:26.000,0:00:28.000 It's sustainable; it's a sustainable material 0:00:28.000,0:00:30.000 that is processed all in water and at room temperature -- 0:00:30.000,0:00:32.000 and is biodegradable with a clock, 0:00:32.000,0:00:35.000 so you can watch it dissolve instantaneously in a glass of water 0:00:35.000,0:00:37.000 or have it stable for years. 0:00:37.000,0:00:39.000 It's edible; it's implantable in the human body 0:00:39.000,0:00:41.000 without causing any immune response. 0:00:41.000,0:00:43.000 It actually gets reintegrated in the body. 0:00:43.000,0:00:45.000 And it's technological, 0:00:45.000,0:00:47.000 so it can do things like microelectronics, 0:00:47.000,0:00:49.000 and maybe photonics do. 0:00:49.000,0:00:51.000 And the material 0:00:51.000,0:00:54.000 looks something like this. 0:00:54.000,0:00:57.000 In fact, this material you see is clear and transparent. 0:00:57.000,0:01:00.000 The components of this material are just water and protein. 0:01:00.000,0:01:03.000 So this material is silk. 0:01:03.000,0:01:05.000 So it's kind of different 0:01:05.000,0:01:07.000 from what we're used to thinking about silk. 0:01:07.000,0:01:09.000 So the question is, how do you reinvent something 0:01:09.000,0:01:12.000 that has been around for five millennia? 0:01:12.000,0:01:15.000 The process of discovery, generally, is inspired by nature. 0:01:15.000,0:01:17.000 And so we marvel at silk worms -- 0:01:17.000,0:01:20.000 the silk worm you see here spinning its fiber. 0:01:20.000,0:01:22.000 The silk worm does a remarkable thing: 0:01:22.000,0:01:24.000 it uses these two ingredients, protein and water, 0:01:24.000,0:01:26.000 that are in its gland, 0:01:26.000,0:01:29.000 to make a material that is exceptionally tough for protection -- 0:01:29.000,0:01:31.000 so comparable to technical fibers 0:01:31.000,0:01:33.000 like Kevlar. 0:01:33.000,0:01:35.000 And so in the reverse engineering process 0:01:35.000,0:01:37.000 that we know about, 0:01:37.000,0:01:39.000 and that we're familiar with, 0:01:39.000,0:01:41.000 for the textile industry, 0:01:41.000,0:01:44.000 the textile industry goes and unwinds the cocoon 0:01:44.000,0:01:46.000 and then weaves glamorous things. 0:01:46.000,0:01:48.000 We want to know how you go from water and protein 0:01:48.000,0:01:51.000 to this liquid Kevlar, to this natural Kevlar. 0:01:51.000,0:01:53.000 So the insight 0:01:53.000,0:01:56.000 is how do you actually reverse engineer this 0:01:56.000,0:01:58.000 and go from cocoon to gland 0:01:58.000,0:02:01.000 and get water and protein that is your starting material. 0:02:01.000,0:02:03.000 And this is an insight 0:02:03.000,0:02:05.000 that came, about two decades ago, 0:02:05.000,0:02:09.000 from a person that I'm very fortunate to work with, 0:02:09.000,0:02:12.000 David Kaplan. 0:02:12.000,0:02:14.000 And so we get this starting material. 0:02:14.000,0:02:17.000 And so this starting material is back to the basic building block. 0:02:17.000,0:02:19.000 And then we use this to do a variety of things -- 0:02:19.000,0:02:21.000 like, for example, this film. 0:02:21.000,0:02:23.000 And we take advantage of something that is very simple. 0:02:23.000,0:02:25.000 The recipe to make those films 0:02:25.000,0:02:27.000 is to take advantage of the fact 0:02:27.000,0:02:29.000 that proteins are extremely smart at what they do. 0:02:29.000,0:02:31.000 They find their way to self-assemble. 0:02:31.000,0:02:34.000 So the recipe is simple: you take the silk solution, you pour it, 0:02:34.000,0:02:36.000 and you wait for the protein to self-assemble. 0:02:36.000,0:02:39.000 And then you detach the protein and you get this film, 0:02:39.000,0:02:42.000 as the proteins find each other as the water evaporates. 0:02:42.000,0:02:44.000 But I mentioned that the film is also technological. 0:02:44.000,0:02:46.000 And so what does that mean? 0:02:46.000,0:02:49.000 It means that you can interface it 0:02:49.000,0:02:51.000 with some of the things that are typical of technology, 0:02:51.000,0:02:54.000 like microelectronics and nanoscale technology. 0:02:54.000,0:02:56.000 And the image of the DVD here 0:02:56.000,0:02:58.000 is just to illustrate a point 0:02:58.000,0:03:02.000 that silk follows very subtle topographies of the surface, 0:03:02.000,0:03:05.000 which means that it can replicate features on the nanoscale. 0:03:05.000,0:03:07.000 So it would be able to replicate the information 0:03:07.000,0:03:10.000 that is on the DVD. 0:03:10.000,0:03:13.000 And we can store information that's film with water and protein. 0:03:13.000,0:03:16.000 So we tried something out, and we wrote a message in a piece of silk, 0:03:16.000,0:03:18.000 which is right here, and the message is over there. 0:03:18.000,0:03:21.000 And much like in the DVD, you can read it out optically. 0:03:21.000,0:03:23.000 And this requires a stable hand, 0:03:23.000,0:03:26.000 so this is why I decided to do it onstage in front of a thousand people. 0:03:27.000,0:03:29.000 So let me see. 0:03:29.000,0:03:31.000 So as you see the film go in transparently through there, 0:03:31.000,0:03:33.000 and then ... 0:03:38.000,0:03:45.000 (Applause) 0:03:45.000,0:03:47.000 And the most remarkable feat 0:03:47.000,0:03:50.000 is that my hand actually stayed still long enough to do that. 0:03:50.000,0:03:53.000 So once you have these attributes 0:03:53.000,0:03:55.000 of this material, 0:03:55.000,0:03:57.000 then you can do a lot of things. 0:03:57.000,0:03:59.000 It's actually not limited to films. 0:03:59.000,0:04:02.000 And so the material can assume a lot of formats. 0:04:02.000,0:04:05.000 And then you go a little crazy, and so you do various optical components 0:04:05.000,0:04:07.000 or you do microprism arrays, 0:04:07.000,0:04:09.000 like the reflective tape that you have on your running shoes. 0:04:09.000,0:04:11.000 Or you can do beautiful things 0:04:11.000,0:04:13.000 that, if the camera can capture, you can make. 0:04:13.000,0:04:16.000 You can add a third dimensionality to the film. 0:04:16.000,0:04:18.000 And if the angle is right, 0:04:18.000,0:04:21.000 you can actually see a hologram appear in this film of silk. 0:04:23.000,0:04:25.000 But you can do other things. 0:04:25.000,0:04:27.000 You can imagine that then maybe you can use a pure protein to guide light, 0:04:27.000,0:04:29.000 and so we've made optical fibers. 0:04:29.000,0:04:32.000 But silk is versatile and it goes beyond optics. 0:04:32.000,0:04:34.000 And you can think of different formats. 0:04:34.000,0:04:37.000 So for instance, if you're afraid of going to the doctor and getting stuck with a needle, 0:04:37.000,0:04:39.000 we do microneedle arrays. 0:04:39.000,0:04:41.000 What you see there on the screen is a human hair 0:04:41.000,0:04:43.000 superimposed on the needle that's made of silk -- 0:04:43.000,0:04:45.000 just to give you a sense of size. 0:04:45.000,0:04:47.000 You can do bigger things. 0:04:47.000,0:04:49.000 You can do gears and nuts and bolts -- 0:04:49.000,0:04:52.000 that you can buy at Whole Foods. 0:04:52.000,0:04:55.000 And the gears work in water as well. 0:04:55.000,0:04:57.000 So you think of alternative mechanical parts. 0:04:57.000,0:05:00.000 And maybe you can use that liquid Kevlar if you need something strong 0:05:00.000,0:05:03.000 to replace peripheral veins, for example, 0:05:03.000,0:05:05.000 or maybe an entire bone. 0:05:05.000,0:05:07.000 And so you have here a little example 0:05:07.000,0:05:09.000 of a small skull -- 0:05:09.000,0:05:11.000 what we call mini Yorick. 0:05:11.000,0:05:14.000 (Laughter) 0:05:14.000,0:05:17.000 But you can do things like cups, for example, 0:05:17.000,0:05:20.000 and so, if you add a little bit of gold, if you add a little bit of semiconductors 0:05:20.000,0:05:23.000 you could do sensors that stick on the surfaces of foods. 0:05:23.000,0:05:25.000 You can do electronic pieces 0:05:25.000,0:05:27.000 that fold and wrap. 0:05:27.000,0:05:30.000 Or if you're fashion forward, some silk LED tattoos. 0:05:30.000,0:05:33.000 So there's versatility, as you see, 0:05:33.000,0:05:35.000 in the material formats, 0:05:35.000,0:05:38.000 that you can do with silk. 0:05:38.000,0:05:40.000 But there are still some unique traits. 0:05:40.000,0:05:43.000 I mean, why would you want to do all these things for real? 0:05:43.000,0:05:45.000 I mentioned it briefly at the beginning; 0:05:45.000,0:05:47.000 the protein is biodegradable and biocompatible. 0:05:47.000,0:05:50.000 And you see here a picture of a tissue section. 0:05:50.000,0:05:53.000 And so what does that mean, that it's biodegradable and biocompatible? 0:05:53.000,0:05:56.000 You can implant it in the body without needing to retrieve what is implanted. 0:05:56.000,0:06:00.000 Which means that all the devices that you've seen before and all the formats, 0:06:00.000,0:06:03.000 in principle, can be implanted and disappear. 0:06:03.000,0:06:05.000 And what you see there in that tissue section, 0:06:05.000,0:06:08.000 in fact, is you see that reflector tape. 0:06:08.000,0:06:11.000 So, much like you're seen at night by a car, 0:06:11.000,0:06:14.000 then the idea is that you can see, if you illuminate tissue, 0:06:14.000,0:06:16.000 you can see deeper parts of tissue 0:06:16.000,0:06:18.000 because there is that reflective tape there that is made out of silk. 0:06:18.000,0:06:20.000 And you see there, it gets reintegrated in tissue. 0:06:20.000,0:06:22.000 And reintegration in the human body 0:06:22.000,0:06:24.000 is not the only thing, 0:06:24.000,0:06:27.000 but reintegration in the environment is important. 0:06:27.000,0:06:29.000 So you have a clock, you have protein, 0:06:29.000,0:06:31.000 and now a silk cup like this 0:06:31.000,0:06:34.000 can be thrown away without guilt -- 0:06:34.000,0:06:41.000 (Applause) 0:06:41.000,0:06:44.000 unlike the polystyrene cups 0:06:44.000,0:06:47.000 that unfortunately fill our landfills everyday. 0:06:47.000,0:06:49.000 It's edible, 0:06:49.000,0:06:51.000 so you can do smart packaging around food 0:06:51.000,0:06:53.000 that you can cook with the food. 0:06:53.000,0:06:55.000 It doesn't taste good, 0:06:55.000,0:06:57.000 so I'm going to need some help with that. 0:06:57.000,0:07:00.000 But probably the most remarkable thing is that it comes full circle. 0:07:00.000,0:07:02.000 Silk, during its self-assembly process, 0:07:02.000,0:07:04.000 acts like a cocoon for biological matter. 0:07:04.000,0:07:06.000 And so if you change the recipe, 0:07:06.000,0:07:08.000 and you add things when you pour -- 0:07:08.000,0:07:10.000 so you add things to your liquid silk solution -- 0:07:10.000,0:07:12.000 where these things are enzymes 0:07:12.000,0:07:15.000 or antibodies or vaccines, 0:07:15.000,0:07:17.000 the self-assembly process 0:07:17.000,0:07:20.000 preserves the biological function of these dopants. 0:07:20.000,0:07:23.000 So it makes the materials environmentally active 0:07:23.000,0:07:25.000 and interactive. 0:07:25.000,0:07:27.000 So that screw that you thought about beforehand 0:07:27.000,0:07:29.000 can actually be used 0:07:29.000,0:07:32.000 to screw a bone together -- a fractured bone together -- 0:07:32.000,0:07:34.000 and deliver drugs at the same, 0:07:34.000,0:07:37.000 while your bone is healing, for example. 0:07:37.000,0:07:40.000 Or you could put drugs in your wallet and not in your fridge. 0:07:40.000,0:07:43.000 So we've made a silk card 0:07:43.000,0:07:45.000 with penicillin in it. 0:07:45.000,0:07:47.000 And we stored penicillin at 60 degrees C, 0:07:47.000,0:07:49.000 so 140 degrees Fahrenheit, 0:07:49.000,0:07:52.000 for two months without loss of efficacy of the penicillin. 0:07:52.000,0:07:54.000 And so that could be --- 0:07:54.000,0:07:58.000 (Applause) 0:07:58.000,0:08:00.000 that could be potentially a good alternative 0:08:00.000,0:08:03.000 to solar powered refrigerated camels. (Laughter) 0:08:03.000,0:08:06.000 And of course, there's no use in storage if you can't use [it]. 0:08:06.000,0:08:10.000 And so there is this other unique material trait 0:08:10.000,0:08:13.000 that these materials have, that they're programmably degradable. 0:08:13.000,0:08:15.000 And so what you see there is the difference. 0:08:15.000,0:08:18.000 In the top, you have a film that has been programmed not to degrade, 0:08:18.000,0:08:21.000 and in the bottom, a film that has been programmed to degrade in water. 0:08:21.000,0:08:23.000 And what you see is that the film on the bottom 0:08:23.000,0:08:25.000 releases what is inside it. 0:08:25.000,0:08:28.000 So it allows for the recovery of what we've stored before. 0:08:28.000,0:08:31.000 And so this allows for a controlled delivery of drugs 0:08:31.000,0:08:34.000 and for reintegration in the environment 0:08:34.000,0:08:36.000 in all of these formats that you've seen. 0:08:36.000,0:08:39.000 So the thread of discovery that we have really is a thread. 0:08:39.000,0:08:42.000 We're impassioned with this idea that whatever you want to do, 0:08:42.000,0:08:44.000 whether you want to replace a vein or a bone, 0:08:44.000,0:08:47.000 or maybe be more sustainable in microelectronics, 0:08:47.000,0:08:49.000 perhaps drink a coffee in a cup 0:08:49.000,0:08:51.000 and throw it away without guilt, 0:08:51.000,0:08:53.000 maybe carry your drugs in your pocket, 0:08:53.000,0:08:55.000 deliver them inside your body 0:08:55.000,0:08:57.000 or deliver them across the desert, 0:08:57.000,0:08:59.000 the answer may be in a thread of silk. 0:08:59.000,0:09:01.000 Thank you. 0:09:01.000,0:09:19.000 (Applause)