The Ultrafast Nonlinear Optics and Biophotonics Laboratory at Tufts University’s engineering school is growing to accommodate expanded research into the use of silk as a material for photonics and high-tech applications.

The Omenetto Lab, named after principal scientist Dr. Fiorenzo Omenetto, now occupies the entire fourth floor of a new addition to custom-built lab space at 200 Boston Ave. in Medford.

The 9,700-square-foot lab will support innovations like edible optical sensors, surgical mesh and electronics that dissolve over time, which have applications in healthcare, food safety and consumer electronics.

The biophotonics lab was formerly located in 6,000 square feet of space on the building’s ground floor. As Omenetto’s team needed a larger and more specialized facility for researching nanostructured materials, landlord Cummings Properties created a mix of office and laboratory space to meet the growing needs.

Tufts University currently occupies about half of the 300,000 square feet of commercial space at the Boston Avenue property. Other tenants include Allergan, which develops and commercializes pharmaceutical products and medical devices like Botox and Restasis, and Mide, which develops technologies that can harvest solar and vibration energy.