Optical Fiber And Sensors Made From Natural Silk

New optical features of silk were researched by Fiorenzo Omenetto (Tuft University).
"We were looking for new materials for corneal tissue replacement and this led to observations of the optical properties of silk and its ability to replicate optical components with nanopatterned features," says researcher Fiorenzo Omenetto. "The entire system is biodegradable, biocompatible and implantable."
This can be used in sensors that could help monitor patients' progress after surgery or track chronic diseases such as diabetes.

Here is article about it:
http://optics.org/cws/article/research/35471
And another:
http://www.technologyreview.fr/biomedicine/21818/
Omenetto's article:
http://www.nature.com/nphoton/journal/v2/n11/abs/nphoton.2008.207.html