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They already have many! Look through old updates. Everything has been waiting on secure production. Older shareholders won’t be surprised at coming announcements, but it could be a real shock to some how fast things move forward from here…
BTW… Medical has been testing our Spider Silk for a long time….
….2017
KRAIG BIOCRAFT LABORATORIES DELIVERS FIRST FIBER SAMPLE TO MEDICAL APPLICATION FIRM FOR PERFORMANCE AND SUITABILITY TESTING
ANN ARBOR, Mich., -August 22, 2017- Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB)
…2022
KRAIG BIOCRAFT LABORATORIES ENTERS BIOMEDICAL FIELD WITH FIRST SAMPLE SHIPMENTS OF FIBERS AND FABRICS FOR TISSUE ENGINEERING
ANN ARBOR, Mich., – May 17, 2022– Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB)
I expect them to get signed contracts or at least MOUs this year within other industries though. I don’t think they have to have reached metric tons by then. They just need to demonstrate the quality and attributes of the silk thru sent samples. Hopefully they are sending samples out post haste.
"Y'all need to get off the clothing chain and look at everything KBLB can do."
everyone very well knows the possibilities...but clothing is what kblb has chosen to do first...and so it is what we are waiting for...first
Y'all need to get off the clothing chain and look at everything KBLB can do.
My post was to point out that particular problem would not be solved by KBLB in the foreseeable future.
You choose to ignore bad decisions made by Thompson.
People want to know why we aren’t at 50 cents or a dollar now.
I’m providing an explanation.
You respond with an attack.
Pretty strong finish Friday. Some FOMO buying?
Thoughts on what we might get for a PR this week (tomorrow if the recent pattern holds)?
- official production kick off?
- more details on the infrastructure they’ll be leveraging in Vietnam?
- details on the other country or countries they’ve signed production agreements with?
- Kings update? Maybe an initial delivery from the production since December?
- a week off while Kim gets situated back at home (sure hope not)?
- other?
Hopefully Kim has PRs lined up to keep the momentum going. The right PRs (SpydaSilk launch, mass production confirmation, new contracts, revenues, etc) and we could certainly be looking at a dollar (or more) during Q3 THIS YEAR, IMO.
Still thinking an up list will likely include some sort of smaller split (maybe in the 1/5 to 1/7 range) to address the share structure but if the share price really takes off maybe the SS can wait..
Going to be a very interesting next few months..
Tick tock…
W2R
Yes, a great Super Bowl commercial for sure.
Would make a great Super Bowl commercial.
Need some fashion pieces to show off that luster Dr. Kumar mentioned, then put it on the runway at NYFW. Photos would be all over the Internet. I wonder if the silk’s luster will have that WOW factor? There is a Vietnamese fashion company that makes some incredible items. I was going to post about it the other day but it was off topic. But she uses Vietnamese silk and works with an excellent designer. Maybe someday she’ll use KBLB’s silk.
First I see no point in arguing with a cry baby.
I would hope the first KBLB silk tie will be 100% silk and woven.
Running scans in #DDAmanda lets you find runners.........you can just study the image for a few minutes, and it should all be clear for the most part.....otherwise, we have tons of explanations here: https://ddamanda.com/LearnMore.htm .....and here: https://ddamanda.com/QuickStart.php
Z
“You choose to ignore bad decisions made by Thompson. “
So you believe when developing a first in genetics to create something so great, that all pieces should just go together and work out perfectly the first try?
“I choose to interpret what is happening to our share price given that history.”
How pathetic can one be….. you are riding the coattails of revolutionary greatness. Now they have if figured out to perfection. And you criticize the development like you could do better….. your so special lol
“ You respond with an attack.”
Cause you always talk fake and pathetic!
I was trying to be nice before, but here goes... I don't waste my time arguing with idiots. There you have it.
"It must be especially difficult because you can’t argue that I’m wrong, just that you think I’m unhappy. "
EOD
You seem to be miserable reading thoughtful and reasoned posts about KBLB on iHub. Why not leave the board and save yourself the unhappiness that my posts engender in your life?
It must be especially difficult because you can’t argue that I’m wrong, just that you think I’m unhappy. To help you understand, I’m not unhappy at all that KBLB won’t be able to replace polyester and nylon in clothing apparel. That does not imply KBLB will fail in the market. KBLB would be pretty foolish to go after the Wal-Mart mens bulk t-shirt market. KBLB is better served by targeting the ‘luxury streetwear’ market, even though I don’t plan to buy a $1,000 Spydasilk blend hoodie.
But I know how hard it is to have ugly facts puncturing your wildest dreams and fantasies. Fortunately, no one is forcing you to read this board and you can simply spend your time reading things that make you happy. I’ll bet you could find some Barbie coloring books that would really brighten your day!
I have a couple of woven ties. Even still, the BOLT tie looked ugly to me. Can you state that its look showcased the strengths and advantages of spider silk? To me, it just looked like another mundane woven tie.
Without any particular evidence one way or the other, I believe the rapid sellout of 50 ties was due more to the novelty factor of owning a limited-edition ‘spider silk’ tie than to the actual appearance of the tie itself.
I believe one of Spiber’s products, a hoodie if I’m not mistaken, had a paragraph on the front extolling its use of Spiber’s protein-based fibers.
What I would like to see is a product that can showcase the beauty of BAM-1, something that makes people go ‘Wow! What is that?’ Not a hoodie you need to read a paragraph on the product to learn about its qualities or a tie that looks like so many others hanging around.
First I see no point in arguing with a cry baby. Not worth my time. I suggest you look for an exit when you feel good about the share price. Then you will be crying about you sold too soon.
The facts are you are one unhappy individual. I hope you get better after selling at a profit.
"You didn’t argue any of the facts, just accused me of crying ‘all day every day,’ and encouraged me to ‘sell out.’ "
The post I was responding to made the argument that KBLB’s fibers could mitigate the problem of microplastics from clothing fibers. My post was to point out that particular problem would not be solved by KBLB in the foreseeable future.
Although I’m not a huge fan of the emphasis on cotton/silk blends, if Kings/MTM is still interested in buying $40 million of BAM-1 silk, I’m all for that. I’ve argued in the past that targeting upscale markets for clothing is the correct approach.
This seems to be a point where we mostly agree.
Now don't cry all day, but, the production totals you provided are a little off. Even given that, what you have succeeded at pointing out, though, which benefits KBLB and it's shareholders, is silk's valuation is greater than the others. Another genius decision by Mr. T.
Good to know. I’ve had my eyes on an upscale house on the market. I’ll buy it today because I’ll have enough to pay cash by closing on June 30.
If KBLB was only at $1.11, I’d be in trouble, but since we are hitting $1.12, I’ll be fine.
Thanks for letting me know.
You choose to ignore bad decisions made by Thompson. I choose to interpret what is happening to our share price given that history.
People want to know why we aren’t at 50 cents or a dollar now. I’m providing an explanation. You respond with an attack.
Effective — NOT.
You don’t seem to like facts. They can be awkward at times, but facts represent truth that can be awkward.
Anyone supposing that KBLB’s silks will solve the problem of microplastics in our environment caused by clothing has to confront some basic facts. I spelled those out and showed it was simply not possible for KBLB’s silks to make a dent in the world’s fabric-produced microplastics problem.
You didn’t argue any of the facts, just accused me of crying ‘all day every day,’ and encouraged me to ‘sell out.’
What a convincing post — NOT.
I would hope the first KBLB silk tie will be 100% silk and woven.
The reason the BOLT ties were “ugly” to you is that you probably don’t like knitted ties. Some people like knitted ties just because they are unique. BOLT May have chosen to debut knitted ties because it may have been impossible to find a weaver willing or even able to weave such a small batch of silk. That’s the best reason I can think of. Remember, BOLT only made 50 knitted ties. And those 50 limited edition ties sold out within minutes.
KBLB management has learned a lot about what can and can’t be done over the years. I think we all have. We know there is a difference between knitting and weaving. Even a difference between weavers. Those that can weave, and those that can do a narrow warp weave.
Once the metric tons start to be churned out by KBLB and its partners, there’s going to be a lot of spinning, knitting, weaving, and narrow warp weaving going on. Put me down for a woven tie made with 100% DragonSilk. Make it two.
In response to:
I’d even settle for a silk tie right now, but hopefully not one as ugly as BOLT made.
Thank you Igotthemojo.
Could we even start to translate this outstanding msg, into numbers via PPS?
I fully understand that what is pointed out could take 2,3,4,5 yeras to build , active and start seeing mass prod. and sales from those future new bases for production...
Really...So says the man whose sales are WAY down. I don't think a course from Dale Carnegie could help your case right now. Ya might want to grab that life jacket "IF" someone is so kind to toss it your way.
"He is trying to sell you something...."
You have been trying to sell something to everyone for years. Too late the fuse is lit!!! Remember......
YMIGH!!!! STAY TUNED!!!!
He is trying to sell you something....
Next time "family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers" ask what you've been smoking just tell 'em..."Krong Bong!" 🤣🤣🤣
Also, there’s still a TON of growth and opportunities that can be realized right in Vietnam in Lam Dong and elsewhere with the continued help of the VSA.
North of Lam Dong is a district called Krong Bong. Here is a story about sericulture there and the possibility of “promoting the application of science and technology to products to improve productivity and quality of mulberry and silkworms”.
Find sustainable development directions for mulberry growing and silkworm farming in Krong Bong district
19:48, March 19, 2024
The People's Committee of Krong Bong district has just coordinated with the Vietnam Mulberry Association and the Lam Dong Agricultural and Forestry Experimental Research Center to organize a field survey of some areas with strong development potential for growing mulberry and raising silkworms locally.
Accordingly, the survey team visited a number of locations on mulberry growing and silkworm farming and visited two communes: Yang Reh and Hoa Le. Through actual surveys in localities, it has been shown that mulberry growing and silkworm farming in Krong Bong district has developed, has high economic efficiency, creates jobs and brings a stable source of income for farmers. (average income reaches 350 - 400 million VND/ha/year).
However, the development of the local mulberry industry is still quite small and unfocused; The output of the product depends on the intermediary stage. Besides, mulberry growers and silkworm farmers still lack production capital, especially investment capital for silkworm farms in accordance with technical procedures (currently, most people raise silkworms by taking advantage of kitchens, pig pens, and barns). chicken...) so productivity is limited; Not being able to proactively breed on the spot, having to import from other provinces, the quality is not high; have not received in-depth training on silkworm raising techniques...
Based on the field trip, the survey team focused on discussing and proposing solutions to remove difficulties and obstacles and support the development of mulberry growing, silkworm rearing and silk reeling in Krong Bong district. towards goods and sustainability, such as: promoting the application of science and technology to products to improve productivity and quality of mulberry and silkworms; Pay attention to investing and supporting the expansion of the scale of developing sericulture and sericulture for households with suitable conditions to build production models associated with product consumption...
It is known that the entire Krong Bong district currently has 51 households growing mulberries and raising silkworms, with a total mulberry growing area of ??more than 50 hectares, concentrated mainly in the communes of Hoa Le, Yang Reh, Cu Dram, Hoa Phong, Cu Pui and Hoa Thanh.
Tuyet Mai
For that to happen it should jump around 760% in a time line of around 6 weeks .
Could it ? it depends on many factors ...
Will it? nobody really knows we can only hope ...
How did the number 1.00PPS get to the net? i do not know how did someone get to this number and not 0.77PPS or 1.11 for that matter.
We all wait for some more info. hope to get better understanding
Based on the success of BAM1, I don’t think we’ll ever see .03 again. I think we should be at .18 right now. After it gets there, the new normal depends on just what you said — metric tonnage, countries, and customers. Can you imagine if KBLB achieved even a wee bit of realized revenue right now? This is a powder keg and the powder keeps getting poured into the keg.
Could you elaborate for those that do not know what your image means?
More like "Run over by the BUS!"
TS78MG,,,,,and yes, I am - - Bullish.
Thanks. One can only hope. I believe that's a very possible near future probability.
There I think I learned that from Kim!
Seriously I believe mojos prediction of $1.00 by end of June are entirely possible.
I agree. I feel we haven’t even taken a bite of our cake yet. Just finger tasted the frosting.
My gut tells me this thing is going to blow up into the high dollar range very fast.
Imagine metric tons… being on CNN.
The whole investing world will think 4 dollars is cheap.
The slow and steady progression of the SP has been impressive. The last .03 was on Jan 10, 2024. A brakeout is what everyone wants but until then I like the track we are on.
I'm looking forward to the next few days, few weeks, few months, and few years.
Things are a GO!!! Finally we are arriving!
This has been an interesting week, that’s for sure. First, we get a blockbuster of a PR on monday, then on wednesday, or thereabouts, there is a “re-release” b/c there was a sorta/kinda snafu that prevented full distribution, then on friday we get a 247marketnews report that fleshed out the monday PR w/ the business end of it, i.e. - laying out all the markets our technology will transform, potentially speaking, of course. The end result being a strong surge in price action late afternoon friday pushing the SP nearly a full penny in about 30 minutes.
https://247marketnews.com/solutions/247
https://www.newsfilecorp.com/brochure/
247MarketNews did the report and released it 9:40am. And it was picked up by newsfile.com at 11am. The SP surge happened at around 3:30pm, about 6 hours time difference from the initial release. It seems curious how all this transpired, not that I’m complaining, mind you. Was this week coordinated, y’know, sorta…kinda…?
Many of us (excluding the you-know-who’s) are expecting news of a different sort, like news of a customer contract or at least news of revenue generating activity. Or maybe an announcement of signed agreements for those multiple production centers in multiple countries. I think it’s time for the first option. Given that PRs give info on situations already done, I would guess potential customers already knew about the production trial results before monday’s PR. That’s what NDAs are for.
That being the case, and I believe it is, the wheels of commerce are turning as we speak. Contracts are NOT negotiated over a weekend. I wonder how long it takes to FINALIZE a contract? All the work to setup the extensive infrastructure for production has been done w/ potential contracts in mind; farmers, reelers, etc. Again, this is what NDAs are for. On the first link above (247) they have this quote from George Bernard Shaw, "The Single Biggest Problem in Communication is the Illusion that it has taken Place.” Interesting. For Kraig, that ‘Illusion’ is gone. We are now 'known' and in the final countdown.
So, all the activity this week, was it random events, distribution mistakes, SNAFUs or was it a planned operation to ‘get the word out’ to potential investors, far and wide. I don’t know about the wednesday thing but the 247 report on friday was probably an appetizer (or prelude) to a monday PR announcing a contract. Who is responsible for the uptick in share buying from 3:30 to 4 pm is anybody’s guess. You couldn’t have scripted it any better than that. That report made sure our message got out there.
A quick take from the report. It mentioned the Textile market, alone, in 2020 was $1,000 Billion. That’s $1 Trillion! Not even talking about medical and/or licensing and/or the military/gov’t and/or whatever inroads into the plastics market we might make. That report on a friday buttressing a week that started w/ possibly the most impressive PR in the company’s history, culminating in a SP surge in the last 30 min. is powerful messaging.
“ … setting a new standard for the production of sustainable and high-performance materials … “
Now that BAM-1 tonnage production is well underway, Kim is back in the states finalizing apparel, medical, and Defensive material contracts. He has already negotiated with other countries to expand the foot print for DS production. Good times ahead….
As beacham would say “ BUY MORE SHARES”.
I know I have increased my share position over the last couple weeks.
$$$ KBLB$$$
The negative blabberings of the past and ridiculing the pangs of development, while getting off on the Risk Factors section of KBLB's filings, as if that's the only thing defining KBLB, will fade along with those touting them! That will be a time of pure bliss for us true KBLB supporters! I cannot wait!!!
"Imagine KBLB going up .04 in a week, yeah that's a bad week for webby"
The .04 isn't as important as the percentage of increase. But the news appears much more important than the .04.
To me webby has a job that looks to be near over. I'm glad to see him go.
Sounds like he is having some really bad days. His week is truly a nothing burger.
I would have been a Kong Jr.
Sounds like he is having some really bad days. His week is truly a nothing burger. He needs to plan his exit strategy. Doesn't look very good for his remaining days. He shouldn't really feel missed with the exception of the other two. They will be right behind him.
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Moderators MU_Redskin1 gimmegimmeminemine TRUISM WebSlinger |
Email: corporate@KraigLabs.com
KRAIG LABS WEBSITE FOR INVESTORS
Quarterly and Annual Reporting to the SEC is available on the Company's Website and EDGAR.
* Financial Statements * SEC Filings *
Outstanding Shares as of January 12, 2023
For issues or questions relating to share certificates or the transfer of securities please contact the company's transfer agent:
Olde Monmouth Stock Transfer Co., Inc.
200 Memorial Pkwy.
Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey 07716
Phone: (732) 872-2727
(since August 14, 2013)
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (KBLB) is the first company with a commercially feasible spidersilk to be mass produced.
Kraig Labs is a biotechnology company focused on the development of commercially significant high performance polymers and technical fibers. Kraig Lab's focus has been on the production of a transgenic silkworm incorporating specific gene sequences from the golden orb weaving spider. These specific gene sequences inserted are to enable the silkworm to spin a new recombinant fiber which incorporates spider silk proteins. With the scientific breakthrough announced on September 29, 2010, Kraig Labs is now working to commercialize the transgenic silkworms to compete in the garment industry silk market. The value for the chinese raw silk market alone is 3-5 billion per annum. With the creation of 20 seperate transgenic silkworms, all with unique properties, Kraig Labs is now working at an accelerated pace to build upon their first generation transgenic organisms to develop their second generation of transgenic silkworm incorporating spider silk proteins. The scientists nearly doubled the strength of the silkworm with these specific spider gene insertions. Their second generation of transgenics are expected to be complete in 2011. These second generation organisms are to be compared with the strength, flexibility and resiliency of the native spider in which the gene sequences are derived from. These fibers which will match the strength of spider silk are expected to compete in the technical textiles market valued in excess of 120 billion per annum. The 3rd generation organisms are currently in the planning phase. These organisms are expected to spin fibers exceeding the strength of native spiders and may incorporate gene sequences that release an antibiotic, or to help reduce scarring with use in bandages.
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories has a sponsored research and development program with the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Wyoming. The genetic work is occurring at the University of Notre Dame, headed by Dr Malcolm Fraser, Phd. The gene sequences are derived from Dr. Randy Lewis's(University of Wyoming) patented gene sequences of the golden orb weaving spider. Kraig labs is paying for all expenses incurred for this research and development program, and thus Kraig Labs has exclusive global commercialization rights with the technologies developed, including methods, organisms, and fibers produced.
MANAGEMENT
Kim Thompson, Founder and CEO
As the CEO of the company, Mr. Thompson is the only member of the scientific advisory board who is also
a part of the corporation's management. His formal education lies in the fields of economics and law.
He received his B.A. in Applied Economics from James Madison College at Michigan State University.
He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School in 1994.
Mr. Thompson founded Kraig Biocraft Laboratories in his pursuit of the development of new biotechnologies
with industrial applications. As chairman of the scientific advisory board, he brings a unique perspective,and
acts as the primary liaison between the advisory board and the corporation.
Mr. Thompson brings a wealth of experience in business management and consultation to Kraig. Following
the completion of his undergraduate degree, Mr. Thompson joined California Craftsman, Inc. as a
Vice-President with primary responsibility for both marketing and human resources.
Kim Thompson was the director of business development at Franchise Venture Partners, LLC. He subsequently
joined the firm of Shearson, Lehman, Hutton where he specialized in equity trading and research of small cap
companies. Mr. Thompson received the highest series seven score for all Shearson brokers in his class nationwide.
His experience in those small cap equity markets has proven to be invaluable both in his legal and business successes.
Prior to becoming a public company CEO, Mr. Thompson was the founder and senior litigation partner in a California
commercial law firm where he worked as corporate and litigation counsel to privately held and public companies.
His many accomplishments in corporate law include winning and collecting in full what his firm believes to have been
the largest award of lost profits in a California commercial arbitration up to that time. An important part of his work was
winning victories on behalf of corporate clients in disputes over intellectual property and distribution rights. He has
represented business clients ranging from small start ups and micro caps to Fortune 100 companies.
With a background in business leadership and in advising public and private corporations, Kim Thompson continues
to bring a unique perspective to the successful management of business. His extensive business and legal background
enables him to create practical solutions to business problems and seize opportunities for growth.
Mr. Thompson is a member of the Triple Nine Society for persons with documented genius level IQs (having tested above
the 99.9th percentile). He is also active in the realm of science and invention where he has to his credit a number of
provisional patent applications including innovations in the areas of biotechnology, organic polymers, genetic engineering
and magnetic field manipulation, among others.
Mr. Rice has over 13 years’ experience growing development stage businesses with a focus on technology development, commercialization, and go to market strategies. Mr. Rice holds a B.S. in Chemical engineering from Michigan Technological University.
Prior to joining Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Mr. Rice was the Director of Advanced Technologies for Ultra Electronics, AMI. In this role, Mr. Rice was responsible for the identification, capture, and execution of new technology programs. During his tenure with AMI, Rice secured more than twenty five million dollars in funded development programs from the US Department of Defense which his team successfully leveraged into commercially viable spinoff products. Mr. Rice was also responsible for technical sales, marketing, and promotion of AMI’s products and capabilities. Rice joined AMI as the third full time employee and helped to lead the organization through its rapid growth and ultimate acquisition by Ultra Electronics in 2011.
Earlier in his career Mr. Rice developed unique advanced manufacturing techniques, established and trained a production staff, led engineering development, authored numerous technical papers, and is a recognized subject matter expert. Mr. Rice holds 5 issued patents and numerous provisional patents.
Mr. Rice brings a history of transforming revolutionary ideas into viable commercial products.
Mr. Rice is currently completing his Masters of Business Administration through the Executive Program at the Eli Broad College of Business: Michigan State University.
Despite the huge potential of genetically modified animals outside of laboratory research, commercialisation of these animals has been extremely limited. Numerous factors, including negative consumer perception, regulatory hurdles, and limitations inherent to classical GM technologies, have kept the majority of GM animal applications within the realm of academic research. However genome editing using zinc finger nucleases could help develop new markets for the future commercialisation of GM animals.
Genetic modification is commonplace throughout the life sciences sector, from fundamental research to pharmaceutical testing. GM cellular and animal models are valuable tools for the study of many chronic diseases, the testing of pharmaceutical compounds and the development of new therapeutic strategies. Genetic modification also offers great benefits in vaccine and biopharmaceutical manufacturing, which rely heavily on the use of GM organisms for biomolecule design and production. Modifying the genome of an organism or cell line allows the incorporation of target biomolecules in specific biological contexts, as well as the transfer of a gene product from a low-producing organism to one that can produce on a commercial scale. These applications have been widely accepted for many years, with countless GM organisms approved for medical manufacturing applications by drug regulators in all major countries. Despite this widespread success within the research and pharmaceutical sectors, the use of GM organisms outside of these markets has been limited.
Despite the lack of broad acceptance for most commercial applications of GM animal products, this technology has been able to gain traction in a few market sectors. The most obvious application has been the commercialisation of transgenic animals for the production of biomolecules for therapeutic use. Cattle, sheep and goats have been used for large-scale production of antibodies, steroids and hormones - most notably insulin - for many years. In 2009, GTC Biotherapeutics received US FDA approval for bioproduction of a recombinant human antithrombin. This product - ATryn - is extracted from the milk of transgenic goats, and is the first approved biopharmaceutical to be produced using genetically engineered animals. Although this is a significant breakthrough for the commercialisation of GM animals, it is still within the pharmaceutical industry, and is a natural progression of existing cell-based technologies. Of potentially greater commercial interest is the extension of genetic engineering outside of this sector, into areas such as food production, textiles and even companion animals.
GM crops have been available in many countries since the early 1990s, and numerous cash crops - including sugar beet, soybean, corn and tomatoes - have been modified to improve resistance to disease, increase the rate of growth or enhance nutritional value. However, cultivation of these transgenic crops is generally tightly regulated, particularly within the European Union, and this, together with negative public opinion, has limited the more widespread development of GM technologies.
Similar to GM crops, many of the animals currently under development are intended to confer disease resistance, an application particularly suited to the use of zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) technology. Many diseases can be treated by the targeted deletion or modification of a host gene. With ZFNs, these targets can be modified with no footprint of genetic engineering. Due to the high costs of raising livestock, another area of focus in developing commercial GM animals has been increasing the rate of growth or size of animals. Among the first GM animals likely to be launched is a fast growing salmon from AquaBounty. The AquAdvantage Salmon is designed to reach market size in half the time of a wild type salmon, reducing costs for fish farmers and limiting the environmental impact of salmon farming by avoiding the need for ocean pens.
Although genetic engineering of animals for food is primarily driven by economic pressures, GM technologies have also been used in the companion animals market. In this sector, genetic modification can be used for practical purposes - such as the creation of hypoallergenic animals or the correction of heritable congenital defects which have arisen though inbreeding - or for purely cosmetic purposes, such as GloFish. The first example of a GM pet, GloFish are fluorescent zebrafish (Danio rerio) that have had genes encoding naturally fluorescent proteins (GFP, YFP, RFP) inserted into their genome. Developed by a group at the National University of Singapore, GloFish were originally created to develop live detection systems for water pollution. They were introduced as pets in the United States in 2003 following over two years of extensive environmental research and consultation. In Europe however, the sale and possession of GloFish is prohibited by rigorous legislation concerning the use of GM technologies.
By allowing precisely targeted insertion of spider genes and concomitant removal of endogenous silkworm silk genes at the same locus, ZFN technology offers the potential for development of transgenic silkworms which will produce native spider silk at commercially viable levels
Perhaps even more interesting from a commercial perspective is the use of GM animals in the manufacture of textiles. Silkworms - actually the larval form of the silkmoth Bombyx mori - have been used for the production of silk for thousands of years, with natural silk still produced by the cultivation of silkworms today. Silkworm cocoons are unwound to create linear silk threads, then re-spun into textiles in much the same way as cotton. Although the applications of silkworm silk are numerous, due to their unique physical and chemical properties, there is also widespread interest in the silks of several other insects.
Spider silk, in particular, offers numerous possibilities within the technical textiles industry, due to its incredible tensile strength and elasticity; characteristics which have not yet been replicated in synthetic materials. Like all insect silks, spider silk fibres consist of repetitive units of protein crystals separated by less structured protein chains. The exact properties and composition of each spider silk vary with its intended function. Major Ampullate or dragline silk, for example, is relatively hydrophobic with very high tensile strength and toughness, as it is used to form the outer rim and spokes of a web. In contrast, hydrophilic capture spiral silks, which form the inner structures of the web, are sticky and highly elastic to effectively entrap prey. This high degree of variability offers enormous potential for the textiles industry, raising the possibility of tailoring the properties of silk to create advanced technical fabrics, for applications such as bulletproof vests, parachute canopies and automobile airbags; biomedical applications, including sutures and tendon and ligament repair; new fabrics, for sportswear and clothing; and even microelectronics.
Although the use of spider silks for microsutures has recently been reported, more widespread application of spider silk technologies is currently limited by the difficulty in producing silks on a commercially viable scale. This is due to the difficulties of rearing spiders in large numbers, due to their highly territorial and cannibalistic nature. As a result, the harvesting of spider silk fibres is extremely time consuming and labour intensive, with production of the only known spider silk garment - an 11 foot by 4 foot shawl made from golden orb spider silk - taking 150 people over five years to produce and costing in excess of £300,000!
.
To overcome these limitations, and allow future development of spider silk technologies, an alternative strategy for spider silk production is required. This makes spider silk production an obvious candidate for genetic modification, inserting spider silk genes into the genome
of other silk-making insects for bioproduction. For example, random insertion of orb spider silk genes into silkworms has allowed production of hybrid spider/silkworm silk using traditional silkworm farming strategies. The resulting hybrid silk contains approximately 10% spider silk
and has greater strength and durability than native silkworm silk, raising the possibility of using transgenic silkworms to produce pure spider silks.
Though straightforward in principle, the exchange of native silkworm genes for spider silk genes, alongside more widespread exploitation of genetic engineering, has been limited by the inherent restrictions of conventional GM technologies.
The generalised process of modifying an organism requires several capabilities, including:
While many different techniques exist for accomplishing each of these steps, most GM technologies offer a compromise between the efficiency of the technique and the ability to accurately and precisely target the locus of interest. Viral genomic delivery technologies effectively deliver nucleic acids to cells and organisms, but fall short on ability to target specific regions of the genome, generally only allowing random insertion of genetic material. In comparison, transposase technologies allow a greater degree of targeting, but leave unwanted traces of exogenous DNA in their wake. Other methods involve the introduction of naked DNA into the cell, which results in insertion into the genome at very low frequencies, usually at random, limiting this approach to organisms that can be economically cultivated at high densities and screened in large numbers. Simply put, most techniques for genetic manipulation are random, inefficient and leave a 'footprint' of foreign DNA. While this is usually tolerated in basic research, it is not acceptable for most commercial applications, and has been a major hurdle for GM animal technologies to date.
The advent of zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) technology represents a significant breakthrough for commercialisation of GM animal products, offering precisely targeted, efficient genome editing for the first time. Commercially available through Sigma Life Science under the CompoZr brand, this technique can be used to create permanent and heritable changes to an organism of interest.
This high degree of variability offers enormous potential for the textiles industry, raising the possibility of tailoring the properties of silk to create advanced technical fabrics
ZFNs are a class of engineered DNA binding proteins that facilitate targeted editing of the genome by creating double-strand breaks at user-specified locations. These breaks stimulate the cell's natural DNA repair mechanisms - homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) - which can be exploited to achieve rapid and permanent site-specific modification of the desired genes. While HR can be used to insert foreign DNA sequences, NHEJ allows the cell's natural processes to create precisely targeted mimics of natural mutations which leave no traces of foreign DNA. Unlike previous techniques, ZFNs offer excellent sequence specificity, binding 24 to 36 base pair target sequences to virtually eliminate off target effects, and are able to achieve modification rates exceeding 20 %, well above rates for most other technologies.
The technique is already being used to create transgenic silkworms for spider silk production. By allowing precisely targeted insertion of spider genes and concomitant removal of endogenous silkworm silk genes at the same locus, ZFN technology offers the potential for development of transgenic silkworms which will produce native spider silk at commercially viable levels.
GM technologies have revolutionised the research world and have great potential in a variety of commercial applications, but have been limited by the inherent restrictions associated with historical GM technologies. The main drawback of these technologies is their inability to accurately and efficiently target genes of interest, instead relying on random insertion of genetic material into host genomes. These limitations result in the need for extensive and costly screening to identify animals with correct transgene expression (without compromising the viability of the animal), and also result in the co-expression of both the transgene and native homologues already present.
The advent of ZFN technology signifies the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the world of genetic modification, allowing precise, targeted and efficient genome editing for the first time. Production of native spider silk using transgenic silkworms is just one example of the potential commercial applications of this innovative technology, taking us one step closer to the reality of industrial scale biomanufacturing and paving the way for an entirely new spectrum of environmentally friendly materials.
Authors:
Joseph Bedell and Brian Buntaine
Commercial Animal Technologies Group, Sigma Advanced Genetic Engineering (SAGE) Labs, Sigma Life Science
HEADLINES FOR KRAIG BIOCRAFT LABORATORIES / (KBLB):
PHOTOS FROM VIETNAM POSTED JULY 6, 2018
ANN ARBOR, Mich., – January 7, 2019 –Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB) (“Company”), the leading developer of spider silk based fibers, announces today that it has successfully delivered the first two shipments of its highly specialized silkworms, which produce a silk with the physical characteristics of spider silk, to Vietnam.
Today’s announcement is the culmination of more than 5 years of work, and challenging negotiation, with the government of Vietnam. The silkworms from these first two shipments have already hatched and are now enjoying a fresh mulberry diet, so, for the first time in history, the global demand for spider silk materials has a viable, cost effective, and scalable solution.
“The dream of commercializing our powerful technology is now materializing. This marks a dramatic leap forward in Kraig Labs’ business plan for commercial production and mass marketing of cost effective recombinant spider silk, and becomes the foundation for an entirely new industry,” said, COO, Jon Rice. “To our long-term shareholders, who have taken this journey with us, as well as our team in the US and Vietnam, who have worked tirelessly to make this dream a reality, I cannot thank you enough. As we start the New Year, full of new opportunity, we truly have something incredible to celebrate.”
The Company has been working with leading sericulture experts, biotechnology institutions, and governmental agencies, in Vietnam, to further boost the silk industry with our revolutionary technology. Kraig Labs is currently finalizing renovation plans for a ~46,000 square foot production factory in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam.
“Our plan has always been to bring our technology to the silk producing regions of the world for rapid scale-up,” said, CEO and Founder, Kim Thompson. “Today we see the fruits of that effort. With its massive silk infrastructure and production capacity, Vietnam is an ideal location to launch our technology scale-up. Congratulations to our team and shareholders, as we prepare for the realization of large scale production.”
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