Silk for diabetes testing

In India, a new use for silk, where the material is plentiful and cheap, has been found. It is being used to make test strips for diabetes. 

It turns out that silk is not only cheap but the labour to make the strips is easily accessible to through hand-weavers. The silk strips, once coated with a spray, can conduct electrochemical signals which have been used to test for the disease. Read more about the project here.