ANN ARBOR—Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB), a biotechnology company using genetically engineered silkworms to create super-strong fibers and fabrics, announced the next generation of its genetically engineered “spider silk” using a new design and gene editing.
The company also announced the promotion of Trevor Kane to the position of chief scientist.
“This breakthrough has powerful ramifications that affect the core of how we develop future spider silk materials,” said Kraig COO Jon Rice. “These newly confirmed transgenics mark a revolutionary advancement in capability of our spider silk materials. The new tools developed by Dr. Kane and our research team will allow us to target commercial markets that were not originally on our radar.”
Screening of these samples confirms that the gene edit was successful, validating the underlying protocols and genetic constructs. Furthermore, western blot analysis, performed on the silk, confirms expression of this new and potentially much more powerful spider silk protein. These results open the door for the company to deploy this new methodology towards a variety of tailored spider silk designs. Kraig Labs expects these new recombinant spider silk fiber lines will open up broader commercial opportunities and complement the Company’s existing Monster Silk and Dragon Silk technologies.
Kraig CEO and founder Kim Thompson said Kane’s promotion came in recognition of the magnitude of multiple recent achievements
“These new powerful transgenics, recently created by Dr. Kane’s team, were designed for broad commercial appeal,” Thompson said. “Dr. Kane has certainly earned his promotion with the successful development of this new architecture. This next generation technology, developed in our labs, has the potential to radically advance gains in material performance, above and beyond anything we’ve previously produced.”
Kane earned a Bachelor of Science in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. in 2010, and a PhD in microbiology from the University of Notre Dame in 2017.
He was also an undergraduate summer researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. In 2009 and an AmeriCorps volunteer in Florida in 2010-11, assisting students in English and biology. He began his career at Kraig in November 2017.
More about Kraig Biocraft at www.kraiglabs.com.
Kraig has spliced spider genes into silkworms, leading to silkworms that spin cocoons whose fibers have some of the strength properties of spiderweb fibers. Among the first applications of the textiles to be made from these super-strong fibers are protective garments for the military.