Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc. in Ann Arbor Tuesday announced it has achieved a major breakthrough in the construction of DNA encoding for spider silk proteins. The company believes the discovery will reduce the customization timeframe for new spider silk technologies by several months.
The new protocols were developed after Kraig Labs reached out to leading DNA synthesis facilities, which said the construction of the desired sequences would be practically impossible due to the unique structure of spider silk proteins.
Not satisfied, Kraig Labs successfully synthesized spider silk protein construct designs. The new approach is expected to accelerate the pace of research and production efforts, while reducing costs to develop new transgenics for new potential markets and applications.
The newly designed protein constructs are being prepared for incorporation into the company’s spider silk platform technology. The new designs may produce new silk fibers with greater strength and flexibility.
“Today’s announcement is another in a long history of Kraig Labs proving the impossible, possible,” says Jon Rice, COO of Kraig Labs. “From our first transgenic silkworms, to the creation of Monster Silk and then Dragon Silk, to obtaining approvals for international expansion, the company has proven, time and time again, that we have the tenacity to reimagine what is possible. These new constructs and the ability to rapidly adapt them could open new and wider applications in military and high performance technical textile markets. Today, we celebrate yet another example of how the company is changing the rules in biotech development.”
