Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, reports that its research team has passed a crucial milestone in the creation and production of new recombinant spider silks and other key target proteins.

They represent the first implementation of the new knock-out/knock-in multiplex system for silkworms developed by the company. It is said to result in a greater than 60% reduction in process complexity when creating new transgenics and should result in significantly higher yields. Pairing multiplex targeting with co-expression of trans-proteins, this new system should allow the company to achieve homozygous – a genetic condition where an individual inherits the same alleles for a particular gene from both parents – and germline stable new transgenics in a fraction of the time. 

The research team will monitor these first-generation transgenics over the next 30 days to verify improvements over existing systems. It has already prepared and filed a potential provisional patent to protect this new novel technology.

“This announcement is just the latest in a string of incredible breakthroughs from our research lab,” said COO Jon Rice.  “Our team continues to defy conventional wisdom, finding almost unimaginable solutions and unlocking the potential for cost-effective, commercial-scale spider silk production. Through an intentional process of seeking out diverse backgrounds and experiences for all positions throughout the organisation, we have built a truly extraordinary team.”

While now focused on improving the production of recombinant spider silk, this new gene system is directly applicable to the company’s accelerating work in non-fibrous and boutique protein production.

www.KraigLabs.com