Once known for creating exquisite fabrics, Thai silk is now at the heart of medical innovation. Scientists are using a protein from silkworms to improve how medicines are delivered, breathing life into Thailand’s traditional silk industry.
For centuries, Thai silk has symbolised elegance, handwoven into garments and exported worldwide. Now, this ancient craft is stepping into the future of healthcare.
Researchers in Thailand are harnessing silk fibroin to create advanced drug delivery systems that promise safer, more effective treatments with fewer side effects.
“Instead of needing large or frequent doses, the protein capsule can release the drug gradually, in the appropriate amounts needed by the body,” explains Juthamas Ratanavaraporn, director of Chulalongkorn University’s biomedical engineering research centre, in an interview with CNN.
Thai Silk and Modern Medicine Make the Perfect Match
Silk fibroin is proving to be a remarkable tool in drug delivery. Its unique structure allows for controlled and sustained release of medicine, a feature that current drug carriers struggle to achieve.
“Silk fibroin’s degradation rate is like a switch—we can adjust it to match the drug’s needs, from days to months,” explains biomaterials researcher Yajun Shuai to CNN.
This adaptability makes it ideal for treatments that require gradual dosing.
Unlike synthetic materials, silk fibroin is biocompatible, meaning it integrates seamlessly with the body without causing harmful reactions. It is also biodegradable and leaves minimal waste, making it a sustainable choice for modern medicine.
Silk fibroin vesicles can encapsulate a wide variety of drugs, cells, or molecules, boosting their effectiveness while reducing side effects.
“Many drug carriers are like sprinters—fast but short-lived. Silk fibroin is more like a marathon runner, able to support long-term drug release,” adds Shuai.
This protein’s ability to combine with other therapeutic agents, such as antibiotics or vaccines, expands its potential uses.
How Thai Silk Becomes Medical-Grade
The journey of Thai silk for medicine starts in the countryside, where silkworms spin cocoons that hold untapped potential. Traditionally used for luxurious fabrics, these cocoons are now the foundation of advanced drug delivery systems.
EngineLife, the start-up co-founded by Ratanavaraporn has improved this process by creating a fully controlled and scalable sericulture system. “We need to make sure that the silk production process is as stable as possible and consistent in every batch.”
Silkworm farming, or sericulture, requires precise conditions to ensure uniformity. Factors like temperature, humidity, and the quality of mulberry leaves fed to the worms are carefully monitored. These controls help produce cocoons with consistent silk fibroin, critical for medical use.
Once harvested, the silk cocoons undergo a strict midstream process. EngineLife extracts silk fibroin in GMP-certified facilities that adhere to standards for medical devices. This ensures the material is pure, biocompatible, and ready for use in treatments.
Tailored Treatments with Thai Silk
Once extracted, silk fibroin becomes the foundation for a range of cutting-edge medical applications. EngineLife has focused on creating versatile drug delivery systems tailored to specific patient needs, from transdermal patches to injectable hydrogels.
Another promising application is an injectable hydrogel for osteoarthritis. Current treatments require frequent injections, but silk fibroin’s ability to stay in the body for up to six months offers a significant advantage. This sustained release reduces the need for repeated procedures and enhances patient comfort.
The silk fibroin platform doesn’t stop there. Research shows it can act as a vaccine adjuvant, boosting and extending immune responses. It is also being explored for wound healing, where its hydrogels help close wounds faster while promoting tissue regeneration.
Silk’s Growing Pains
One of the biggest challenges is maintaining consistency in silk fibroin quality. Even small changes in the environment, such as the mulberry leaves fed to silkworms, can affect the protein’s molecular weight. This variability impacts drug release rates, making standardisation critical.
To address this, EngineLife has introduced stringent farming protocols. They collaborate with the Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture to train farmers and implement certified organic practices. Purpose-built facilities now control temperature and humidity year-round, ensuring stable silk production.
Regulatory approval also poses obstacles. EngineLife’s silk fibroin products must meet rigorous standards, from biocompatibility testing to Thailand FDA’s classification as medical devices.
“This is the most difficult step for us and consumes a huge amount of budget and time,” admits Ratanavaraporn.
Scaling production is another hurdle. While EngineLife’s pilot plant can process 30,000 doses annually, demand for medical-grade silk fibroin solutions is much higher. Meeting this demand requires investment in larger facilities and optimised production methods.
From Fashion to Pharma
The integration of Thai silk into medicine is more than a scientific discovery – it’s a cultural and economic shift. By elevating silk from a textile material to a medical-grade resource, researchers are giving Thailand’s sericulture industry a modern purpose.
EngineLife’s innovations have created a new revenue stream for silk farmers, offering them stability beyond the volatile fashion market. The transition to producing medical-grade silk cocoons has increased the value of their output tenfold.
“For many diseases and conditions, we don’t need a one-time shot that cures everything; instead, we need a prolonged and sustained release of the drug,” Ratanavaraporn says.
Thai silk fibroin provides that precision, offering solutions that could impact millions of patients globally.
By turning tradition into technology, this innovation not only secures a brighter future for patients but also strengthens the cultural legacy of Thai silk. What began as an ancient art form now stands at the forefront of medicine, bridging the past and the future in a truly remarkable way.
“Silk already has high value as a fabric,” Ratanavaraporn reflects. “But now we are positioning it as a medical-grade material, which increases its value at least tenfold.”
