Australian researchers develop 'near-perfect rubber'-from insects

By Liz White, ERJ staff

Melbourne, Australia-Scientists at Australian research institute CSIRO have developed what they describe as "a near-perfect rubber" from a natural protein. The material, resilin, is the resilient, elastic muscle protein which gives fleas their ability to leap huge distances and helps insects fly.

A multi-disciplinary research team, funded by a CSIRO Emerging Sciences Area grant, was first to clone a portion of the resilin gene in the fruitfly and express it in bacteria as a soluble protein. In another first, the team made resilin protein in purified form.

Using a process we have patented, we developed a resilin rubber material which structural testing showed had a near-perfect resilience,” said project leader, CSIRO Livestock Industries principal scientist, Dr Chris Elvin, in a press statement.

The work showed that the material's 97 percent recovery after stress far exceeds that of synthetic polybutadiene-the 'superball' high-resilience rubber (80 percent). It is also much higher than that of elastin-the elastic protein in humans which gives skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, intestines, tendons, and ligaments their elasticity (90 percent).

According to CSIRO, Resilin has "a near-perfect capacity to recover," after stress as well as "extraordinary durability." Potential applications include high-efficiency rubber in industry, spinal disc implants, heart and blood valve substitutes.

Resilin has evolved over hundreds of millions of years in insects into the most efficient elastic protein known,” said Elvin.

If humans could jump like fleas, we would be able to leap 100-story buildings. The durability and elasticity of resilin helps insects fly, enabling bees to flap their wings in almost frictionless motion 500 million times in a lifecycle," the CSIRO researcher said.

The resilin gene is turned off in adult insects, so there is no way of renewing their supplies,” Elvin explained.

If you consider the number of contraction and extension cycles that resilin must accomplish during the course of an insect's life, the fatigue lifetime of the material is extraordinary," Elvin said.