New method to create engineered silk announced
May 8th, 2023
Scientists have long been intrigued by the remarkable properties of spider silk, which is stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. Now, Fuzhong Zhang, professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering at Washington University, St. Louis, has made a significant breakthrough in the fabrication of synthetic spider silk, potentially offering a new era of […]
Stronger engineered spider silk created
August 9th, 2021
A Spun polymeric amyloid fiber. Photo: Jingyao Li. Spider silk is said to be one of the strongest, toughest materials on earth. Now engineers at Washington University in St. Louis have designed amyloid silk hybrid proteins and produced them in engineered bacteria. The resulting fibers are even stronger and tougher than some natural spider silks. […]
Kraig Biocraft readies shipment for spider silk production
November 2nd, 2020
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc. has announced that it has completed production and genetic screening of its latest batch of spider silk silkworm eggs. These specialized silkworm eggs are now ready for shipment to Vietnam to restart commercial production. Production operations at the company’s factory were suspended in March due to a mandatory shutdown, resulting from […]
U.S. Army tests Kraig Labs ballistic panels
September 7th, 2018
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, a developer of spider silk–based fibers, has delivered ballistic shootpack panels to the U.S. Army, Innovation in Textiles reports. The panels to be evaluated for effectiveness in stopping bullets are made with Kraig Labs’ Dragon Silk, a genetically engineered spider silk that mimics the strength of natural spider silk and is produced by […]