GENET-news articles on GE silk
2012-01-05 | permalink
GE silkworms spin spider silk - A first
“Our hope was that by embedding spider-silk protein [gene] sequences within silkworm silk [gene] sequences, we could get those proteins to co-assemble ... into composite fibers, and that is what happened,” said study co-author Don Jarvis, a molecular biologist at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. [...] The fiber is being commercialized by textile manufacturer Kraig Biocraft. (Lewis, Jarvis, and co-author Malcolm Fraser sit on Kraig’s scientific board.) “We’re not looking at bulletproof vests,” Lewis said. “We’re looking at artificial limbs, tendons, parachutes, and landing lines on aircraft carriers—[situations] where we need elasticity and strength.”
- National Geographic, USA: Hybrid silkworms spin spider silk - A first
- The Daily Telegraph, UK: Scientists make silkworms ‘spin spider webs’
- The Independent, UK: Well, it worked for Peter Parker: genetic scientists unleash power of the spider web
- British Broadcasting Corporation, UK (BBC): GM silk worms make Spiderman web closer to reality
- Christian Science Monitor, USA: How genetically engineered caterpillars spin silk stronger than steel
- Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc., USA: Kraig Biocraft Laboratories announces peer reviewed publication of spider silk and transgenic silkworm breakthroughs
Overview
2012-01-05 | permalink
GE silkworms spin spider silk - A first
“Our hope was that by embedding spider-silk protein [gene] sequences within silkworm silk [gene] sequences, we could get those proteins to co-assemble ... into composite fibers, and that is what happened,” said study co-author Don Jarvis, a molecular biologist at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. [...] The fiber is being commercialized by textile manufacturer Kraig Biocraft. (Lewis, Jarvis, and co-author Malcolm Fraser sit on Kraig’s scientific board.) “We’re not looking at bulletproof vests,” Lewis said. “We’re looking at artificial limbs, tendons, parachutes, and landing lines on aircraft carriers—[situations] where we need elasticity and strength.”
- National Geographic, USA: Hybrid silkworms spin spider silk - A first
- The Daily Telegraph, UK: Scientists make silkworms ‘spin spider webs’
- The Independent, UK: Well, it worked for Peter Parker: genetic scientists unleash power of the spider web
- British Broadcasting Corporation, UK (BBC): GM silk worms make Spiderman web closer to reality
- Christian Science Monitor, USA: How genetically engineered caterpillars spin silk stronger than steel
- Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc., USA: Kraig Biocraft Laboratories announces peer reviewed publication of spider silk and transgenic silkworm breakthroughs
