TEXTILES.ORG
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc., a developer of spider silk-based fibers, has further expanded its leading position in the development of recombinant spider silk with the filing of two new patent applications. The new patents build upon underlying knock-in/knock-out gene-editing technologies that the company first made public in 2020.
The technologies covered with these patents expand on the company’s nearly pure spider silk genetic engineering systems allowing for larger, more complex and more diverse protein production systems.
Leveraging in situ auto assembly of large and complex proteins, the first of the two patents allows for the creation of silks that incorporate multiple sets of mechanical and chemical properties that cannot be created by conventional gene editing means. Kraig Labs developed the new system to address the limits on size and complexity of protein synthesis available from the world’s leading recombinant gene manufacturers. The company expects the new method will produce silks with complexities and scope that have never been seen in nature or in the laboratory.
The second patent propels the company’s developments in gene editing beyond the traditional heavy chain fibroin component of silk. The research and development avenue opens the doors for the co-production of complementary proteins. The evolution in research delivers on the company’s vision for its transgenic silkworms as host platforms for tailored cosmetic and pharmacological proteins. The new system leverages the cost-effective and eco-responsible protein system that all of the Kraig technologies are built on.