Silks are fibrous proteins with remarkable mechanical properties produced in fiber form by silkworms and spiders. Silk fibers in the form of sutures have been used for centuries. Recently regenerated silk solutions have been used to form a variety of biomaterials, such as gels, sponges and films, for medical applications. Silks can be chemically modified through amino acid side chains to alter surface properties or to immobilize cellular growth factors. Molecular engineering of silk sequences has been used to modify silks with specific features, such as cell recognition or mineralization. The degradability of silk biomaterials can be related to the mode of processing and the corresponding content of beta sheet crystallinity. Several primary cells and cell lines have been successfully grown on different silk biomaterials to demonstrate a range of biological outcomes. Silk biomaterials are biocompatible when studied in vitro and in vivo. Silk scaffolds have been successfully used in wound healing and in tissue engineering of bone, cartilage, tendon and ligament tissues.

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Horseradish peroxide (HRP) was covalently coupled to three-dimensional (3D) silk fibroin scaffolds using water-soluble carbodiimide. Stable, bilaterally symmetrical immobilized HRP gradient patterns were generated within 3D silk fibroin scaffolds using the principles of diffusion. Gradients of immobilized HRP activity were controlled using variables of volume and concentration of HRP solution activated by the carbodiimide. The method developed can be extended to immobilize a variety of proteins and small molecules on several types of porous, interconnected materials. This technique of patterning enzymes and proteins in a gradient manner offers new options in the field of chemotaxis, tissue engineering, and biosensors.