1.                 To develop a novel, mineralized, silk-based biomaterial with mechanical and biochemical features that make it suited to application in bone graft replacements.

2.                 To combine this generic material in a novel osteoinductive (i.e. capable of inducing bone formation), regenerated silk-based matrix to create an entirely innovative bone scaffold material. The matrix will be designed to reinforce the mechanical properties of the material created in objective 1, and encourage nucleation of mineralisation and ingress of endogenous cells through incorporation of osteoinductive factors and proprietary microporous design. The resulting scaffold will constitute the first osteoinductive, load bearing bone substitute material (BSM).