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who is Mr Rowland?...i thought his name was George Gill?...
"Freezing and transporting would be expensive."
everything is expensive...the question is, is it TOO expensive?...what would kblb be doing with that silk?...who would be buying it?...could they pass the costs onto them?...if so, then it is expensive, yet, not too expensive...
i thought kblb might set up a small prodigy type facility on that Texas property so the only thing being shipped would be product...and im not talking about tonnage or anything...just whatever amount is needed to sell to medical suppliers at a huge profit...
but, apparently, kblb was way out ahead of itself...
Well ya EOT, care to comment on what happened to the Texas Mulberry project?
You posted very old news.
Freezing and transporting would be expensive.
<< Kim sold the land several years ago… >>
Yes, the company (KBLB) basically paid for the property, and the Scumbag CEO made a profit when he sold it. Another way to scam shareholders and fill his pockets with shareholder's money.
<< Mr. Roland in Australia who bought 63 million shares >>
WRONG AGAIN!
He has 57 million shares (or 6 million shares less than rumored.
In addition, he let 3.7 million shares via warrants expire.
I can and will...
Irreparable damage will cost this company both long and short term.
Patience is the key, with all things KBLB....
You'll see.
I could not agree with you more, Blue. Folks have been buying and lots of shares. The share price is trying to move up. All one has to do is look at Mr. Roland in Australia who bought 63 million shares. That alone speaks volumes. We are very close to major news on many fronts. Can't wait for the first Kraken to be released! GO KBLB!
The contract to lease that Texas land for mulberries was terminated and Kim sold the land several years ago…
But I believe the process of shipping leaves involved freeze drying…if memory serves…
Well, another week is almost gone and no news. Some say not next week due to holiday. That means the following week. Whenever it is it will be good!
<< Can you elaborate on the process of shipping those Mulberry leaves from Texas to where the worms are located in Michigan? If not in Michigan where is the facility? >>
The TX location is no longer in play. First off, it wasn't productive. Second, the Scumbag CEO broke off the contract a while back.
<< My entire point in mentioning growing Mulberry in the USA was to say let's get to finding the land and start planting the trees now if this is for sure a Slam Dunk! >>
KBLB already tried that. The Scumbag CEO bought land (personally) in Texas, and then rented it back to KBLB for a nice prorit. They planted 2000 mulberry trees, which were never heard from again. After KBLB paid for most (if not all) of the entire property price, the Scumbag Landlord then broke off the rental agreement.
PUBLIC RELATIONS EXHIBITION HELD AT THE G7 HIROSHIMA SUMMIT INTERNATIONAL MEDIA CENTER - (KBLB COMPETITOR)
May 24, 2023
SPIBER PR
Spiber was recently given the opportunity to hold a public relations exhibition at the International Media Center (IMC), which was set up in Hiroshima City in conjunction with the G7 Hiroshima Summit from May 18 to 22, 2023.
The purpose of the exhibition was to highlight to both domestic and international media Japan’s efforts to contribute to solving various issues facing the international community.
At Spiber’s booth, we exhibited two products made with our Brewed Protein™ fibers (the Goldwin Cross-Field 3L Jacket scheduled for release this fall, as well as a new hoodie product from PANGAIA which was released last year in June) in order to demonstrate the impressive potential of next-generation protein materials for use in the apparel industry.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan’s announcement on the PR exhibition at the IMC can be found here.
Details of Goldwin’s jacket can be found here.
Official website can be found here.
TRUISM
Can you elaborate on the process of shipping those Mulberry leaves from Texas to where the worms are located in Michigan? If not in Michigan where is the facility?
And yet this was searched at by some here and was never found
Patrik
P.S. Kim milked that deal for all it was worth
Well ya… that’s how we have been feeding the Spider Silk worms and producing in the US…..
“This property offers the Company significant capacity for growth with room for tens of thousands of more trees.”
KRAIG BIOCRAFT LABORATORIES COMPLETES PLANTING OF 2,000 MULBERRY TREES AT ITS NEW TEXAS LOCATION TO SUPPORT SPIDER SILK PRODUCTION
ANN ARBOR, Mich., -March 3, 2017- Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB) (“Company”), the leading developer of spider silk based fibers, today announced it has completed the planting of the first 2,000 mulberry trees at its Texas location. This facility and these trees will be used to supply the Company’s US recombinant spider silk operations with fresh mulberry leaves. The Company expects to begin harvesting these leaves in the 3rd or 4th quarter of this year.
“We’ve invested a tremendous amount of effort over the last thirty days preparing the new Texas facility and planting these first 2,000 trees,” said COO Jon Rice. “Those long days and a handful of fire ant bites have rewarded us, with what we expect, will be the capacity to support all of our US silk production without the need of expensive artificial diet. We’re looking forward to our first harvest this fall.”
The Company is now in the process of assessing its needs for additional mulberry trees and will make a decision regarding additional plantings later this year.
My entire point in mentioning growing Mulberry in the USA was to say let's get to finding the land and start planting the trees now if this is for sure a Slam Dunk!
Still going to 20 this week?
MULBERRY
FEBRUARY 10, 2022
LINK
Native red mulberry trees have been enjoyed by people in North America for centuries. On expedition in the mid-1500s De Soto observed Muskogee Indians eating dried mulberry fruits. Over winter the Iroquois mashed, dried, and stored the fruit to later add to water, making warm sauces that were occasionally mixed into cornbread.
Cherokees made sweet dumplings by mixing cornbread and sugar with mulberries. The Timucua people of northeast Florida used the fruit, along with the tree's leaves and twigs, to make dyes, and the Seminoles used the branches to make bows.
Red mulberry (Morus rubra) tree with fruit. Photo by Vern Wilkins, Indiana University, Bugwood.org
The introduced white mulberry was brought from China in the early 1800s as a host plant for silk worms in hopes of establishing silk production in the United States.
Trees were planted throughout the United States; however, silk production was too costly a venture.
Despite the failure of the silk industry, the mulberry trees did well.
TRUISM
Quote "NEW UPDATE: 2022"
Isn't new anything said once when looking in a dictionary, but maybe i am wrong again.
We all wait for the one news of production, and IT WILL COME, and we will all be patient winners.
The building chart uptrend is still intact, deception is there after this high in tbe 7 cents, but i know it has a reason...the next weeks will show us why this massive buys 2 weeks ago happened and the massive accumulation on falling pps on monday happened too.....Someone smart has a plan, and my feeling tells me hhat it is bullish.....
NEW UPDATE: 2022 commercial production - FAILED
2022: Kings / MtheMovement to Purchase Up To $5 Million in Spidersilk - FAILED
2022: Website & apparel launch - FAILED
2021: Kings / MtheMovement to Purchase Up To $3 Million in Spidersilk - FAILED
2021: "Spydasilk should hit the ground running" - FAILED
2021: $250K prepayment from Kings / MtheMovement- FAILED
2019-2020: Uplist to NASDAQ - FAILED
2019 commercial production - FAILED
2019: Appoint Independent Board of Directors - FAILED
2019: Polartec MOU - FAILED
NEW UPDATE: 2018: "Our recombinant spider silk silkworm technology is a direct drop-in replacement for traditional silkworms and allows us to move quickly, with minimal investment, to bring new products to market" - FAILED
2018: ““We are busy preparing silkworm eggs for shipment and putting the team in place at Prodigy to hit the ground running.” - FAILED
2016-2018: Army Contract - FAILED
2017: Mulberry facility in Texas - FAILED
2014-2015: "R&D .... is no longer necessary" - FAILED
2014-2015: “Scale and sale” - FAILED
2013-2015: Commercialization of Big Red - FAILED
2013-2014: Warwick Mills Partnership - FAILED
2013: SSM Industries Partnership - FAILED
And those are just a few of the MANY, MANY FAILURES that KBLB has had over the years….
More like getting it done there and now can bring their own self-sustaining model to the U.S. Exactly what the DOD is looking for! And one of the many reasons why the AF Funding is a SLAM DUNK!
“Of course we are, we never miss bro!”
You can’t say that anymore, can you?
"That was only because the US had tariffs on silk imports. Once the tariffs went away, that was the end of the American silk industry."
thats nice...
but they didnt feed the silk worms mulberry leaves?...
yes they did...
Mulberry chow… yes. Fresh mulberry leaves… no. To be successful, they needs lots of fresh mulberry leaves.
We grew mulberry in Texas…entogenetics grew it in N Carolina…and 100 years ago the U.S. had a thriving silk industry in the N/E…they grew mulberry all over the place…
And THAT is what sticks in my crawl with this CEO ...He banks a lot of money with this company & yet has not produced one dime of revenue for the company not to mention his shareholders ...How the hell does he justify $500,000 a year , FREE car FREE health insurance & has not produced one damn dime for the company ..
if he worked in the real world , his ass would have been fired years ago !!
The cache of spider silk at Prodigy increased by zero kilograms in Q1 of 2023 and probably has not increased since fall of 2022.
Production shut down after the dismal yield from the first 90 day startup at the silkworm farm. Most likely, the farm is working to expand the breeding pool of parent lines. The next silk crop might appear in July.
The $40K vehicle is a favorite.
What "slam dunk" in the nether-regions of investors!
God knows, he needs a "company" vehicle!
Maybe he has to put his briefcase full of "Coming Soon" PR's into something?
What a sham!
"Thank you, sir! May I have another?", say the investors.
Oh well
$KBLB
I am starting to believe that the next KBLB update we receive will be regarding production, and that will not come until the end of June if not a bit later. That gives the company two production cycles with the new robust silkworms. Don't forget that those worms are producing SS, so I imagine Kim and Jon have a fairly large cache of silk at Prodigy.
I honestly think either a contract announcement or the great SS clothing reveal will be the first news out of the gate when the company has production up to specified amounts. As always, KBLB is a long, waiting game, and those of us here who have been patient, must continue doing so. GO KBLB!
<< a ceo making one dollar >>
Is the Scumbag CEO only making $1?
The answer is NO!
He is making more than $1/2 million in salary + bonus this year (and that doesn't include all of his other perks). And that number increases EVERY year.
Well, another day and no news. Hopefully, as soon as Kim says. When it happens, things will be much better.
So any company with zero revenue that has a ceo making one dollar is automatically a pump and dump…
Makes no sense at all…
I just saw this quote on another stock, and it reminded me of KBLB:
The first day of Fall is on Saturday, September 23, 2023. That is in just 4 months. What will KBLB have done by then, and what if anything will they reveal? Is “it” really coming soon? And by “it”, I mean steady and successfully increasing quality silk production? Leading to the long-awaited reveal of something, anything, Spydasilk, product? I would expect we will hear about another management team trip to Vietnam between now and the Fall. They need to check up on how things are going over there in person. Waiting to see what happens …. Coming soon … (yawn).
“Never tell me the odds.” — Han Solo
<< And yet, despite all that, it remains a going concern and there’s still a chance. Right? Can we agree on that? >>
Yes, there is a chance, but the odds are so low that they make the lottery look like a sure thing.
Great to see you back. Must be time to buy more KBLB. lol's
And yet, despite all that, it remains a going concern and there’s still a chance. Right? Can we agree on that?
Navy funding would be better if Kim-Jon could make enough silk to make arresting cables. It would be a LOT cheaper than what the Navy uses now. Maybe after they launch their luxury streetwear apparel line (cough) that we’ve been told is coming soon since May 2021 (cough), maybe. At the rate they are going it might take 50 years to make one arresting cable to test. Oh, but according to some the company will be bought out way before then and all the production problems and delays will somehow magically be solved by a change in ownership. If only it was that easy.
I remember in one of the filings where Kim was meeting with the Department of Energy….. that would also be a good fit for Kraig Spider Silk.
AF…the first domino fall.
“An outgrowth of immense investment in scientific research initiated by the U.S. Government during World War II, the National Laboratories have served as the leading institutions for scientific innovation in the United States for more than seventy years.
The Energy Department's 17 National Labs tackle the critical scientific challenges of our time -- from combating climate change to discovering the origins of our universe -- and possess unique instruments and facilities, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. They address large scale, complex research and development challenges with a multidisciplinary approach that places an emphasis on translating basic science to innovation.
“we’re preparing a response to DOD”.
No! More specifically they said "announces today" that it is preparing a response. That response was written and sent in before the PR saw the light of that day.
Really? How long ago?
That is why there would be no price movement with a "we submitted" PR.... Some of us got more than others.
Wow. So the stock price is as “high” as it is because of the presumption that Kim’s already made a submission? Just imagine how “high” it’d go if a PR announced that the submission has already been made. From the low fours to the mid fours or the high threes and beyond! LOLOLOLOLLLOLOOOOKNDBDBDBDNDBDBDHDJDJKKBDHDHEJ&2!3!;.&2&SbbbMassGDhhhhhh!!! Gooble gobble gooble gobble. One of us, one of us.
Hahahaha!
I've heard that before....
Whatever chart reader... we are in the stinky pinkies where charts lie.
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Moderators MU_Redskin1 gimmegimmeminemine TRUISM EOT 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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