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I agree if your point was/is that Kim is not CEO material, is over his head and.....
Well if it all goes well we won't have long to wait for explosive news.
Many do fold but others survive. How many survive for over a decade on the OTC? How many have the military looking to invest in precisely what they are doing? How many have signed agreements worth tens of millions of dollars when product is delivered?
Surely even the most cautious among us can recognize not all can be lumped together in OTC land…
“Patience”
Now where have I heard that before? Endlessly frustrating when it comes to KBLB but should be viewed with anxious anticipation when it comes to companies trying to compete with them.
Can’t wait to actually find out what the goo crew has been up to and where they might go next with their non-spider silk pursuits.
Thanks for the random thought…but it does not address anything I said…
“Certified genius think they can figure it all out themselves a lot of times.”
And that’s EXACTLY what he did…after about a week of researching Kblb in early 2011 I came to the conclusion that kim needed to hire someone else who had business sense…that’s when I started calling Kblb a one man band and saying they would never get anywhere with just kim…it was clear he did not have a clue what he was doing…
I wanted kim to hire an experienced businessman who had experience in the fiber/ materials industry…instead he hired a younger guy with little business experience who knew a bit about manufacturing…and he ended up with a mediocre coo who was learning as he went…genius?….I don’t think so..
When Kim announced he was going to try to get into vietnam to produce product there, the first thing I said was he would need to hire an experienced Vietnamese businessman who could help make it all happen…
Kim went at it alone…and after he thoroughly screwed it all up, refused to pay those who needed to be paid and pissed off many people, he decided to make the genius move of hiring a Vietnamese businessman to make it happen….smh
“The Workman hire is particularly telling in this regards.”
Lawyers, like doctors, specialize in certain fields…you would never hire a divorce lawyer to defend you in a murder trial…just like you wouldn’t hire a podiatrist to do your heart surgery…
Kim deciding to hire patent attorneys to do what he is not capable of, is not genius…it is just common sense…of which he has displayed very little of…so although it was unusual, it is not even close to genius…
“Sometimes real genius isn’t found brilliance in innovation but in common sense”
Common sense is not genius…if it was, Kim would be a retard…
“Hope he can learn from his mistakes. That’s also another form of genius. smile”
Genius is not learning from mistakes…it’s not needing to learn from mistakes because you don’t make any, that is genius…
It's the OTC, for goodness sakes; where MANY small caps often fold.
Where the lousiest of the lousy, play their shareholders.
Perhaps. But IMO displaying good common sense hires and let them perform IS genius enough for a certified genius. Certified genius think they can figure it all out themselves a lot of times. So, displaying common sense in these area tells me that he does have some intelligence and isn’t so prideful as to try to claim (or attempt to) he can do it all himself. The Workman hire is particularly telling in this regards.
Sometimes real genius isn’t found brilliance in innovation but in common sense. .. not saying that he doesn’t have self-interest involved too in these things. Anyway, he didn’t bungle them like he did the uplist and moving too soon on all that. Hope he can learn from his mistakes. That’s also another form of genius.
much like the law firm...a well known and respected high profile person who is an expert with fiber and materials...
we had a fiber and materials problem and we hired a well known expert to help with that...
it was a good hire...but it was the type of hire that millions of people do on a daily basis....nothing genius in it...
i had a pumbing issue...i looked for a solid experienced company that had a good reputation for doing good work...i hired them...and they did well...that doesnt make it a genius hire or even a big deal....
"That point backs up the idea of a complete inhouse operation where only high margin silks are produced for military, medical, and other purposes with possible AF funding here in the United States."
yup...and ill add that a lot of the process of production can be accomplished with automation rather than laborers...that should cut down that cost...of course the initial set up in purchasing the equipment and machinery may be expensive, but thst what AF funding is for...
"Well, maybe it could be possible that the genetic changes have made the worms less hardy and don't acclimate as well."
it seems logical to me that once you have spent years creating a worm in a controlled environment, they get acclimated to a controlled environment...we know they can produce in a controlled environment...but if you put that worm into an uncontrolled environment, you may find, as we did, that the worms did not acclimate as well as desired...thats not shocking to me...nor does it suggest genetics are the problem...to me it CLEARLY suggest that acclimation to the environment is the issue...as what was stated by kblb...
thus breeding with more robust worms was believed to be the solution...i dont know if we are talking about hit and miss breeding or whether its much more precise...but i do believe that although there were more losses than espected, we can still produce enough to be profitable...
and if not, then we can go back to utilizing prodigy for production purposes and expanding that facility and building more....and i think we are at the point of finding out which way we will go....either way is good for me...but we need to start producing, selling and making money...like, right now...
those are just my opinions...and i could be wrong............but im not
"I think John was the most excellent hire"
very mediocre...
"Big Daddy Kane did great too. Don't know why he left"
but the fact is, hes gone...and it probably wasnt on good terms...
"Lab hires have been good."
lab techs?...can throw darts at boards and do well enough with those kinds of hires...
"The Board that never seated were all good choices."
maybe, maybe not....cant judge anyone's work when they were never actually hired and didnt do any work...
"Yes, Ken 'aka Stan ... Bruce' Lee was superb hire"
the only one imo...
"Workman Nydegger was stellar hire for contracted service (not employment)."
they are an established, well known law firm...dont see a big deal in choosing a law firm that EVERYONE knows is good..
"Did I miss any?"
yea...you forgot to name the genius hires that kim made...i didnt see any...
you said, "but staying on track with my post, the problem is, once you take the process out of a controlled environment and put it into uncontrolled vietnamese sericulture, things are quite likely to be a bit different...and as we are finding out, they are...
That point backs up the idea of a complete inhouse operation where only high margin silks are produced for military, medical, and other purposes with possible AF funding here in the United States.
but its not the genetics...the worms are probably not acclimating well to the new environment...i dont find that shocking...and it appears that the fix is more husbandry than genetic modification...its breeding..."
Well, maybe it could be possible that the genetic changes have made the worms less hardy and don't acclimate as well.
"They certainly will look to enhancing the product or seeing where it could lead"
exactly...research and development...
"but you will produce what was originally agreed to."
there will be no agreement to produce anything...my guess is, the AF will want to know what we can do...they will want kblb to show them what we can do...the AF will decide what they will want to do with that info...
everyone wants to keep stretching out the AF deal to the point of producing product...and that is the goal...but thats the END goal...we are just at the beginning with the AF...but imo, there has never been any doubt that kblb can produce in a controlled environment...we have proven that at the Mchigan lab and at prodigy...
"This is not like supplying the shoot packs where they just asked for the product."
no it isnt...its better than that...the AF has been studying spider silk in their own labs for years...they see the potential...they see the need...and i suspect they see the potential for weaponization...
the AF now wants to see if there is someone that can give them what they want...if kblb cant, they are willing to assist with money, facilities and research to see if we can get it to where it meets their needs...this is far different that the army deal and far better...and kblb itself is far better now than 5 years ago...
"If they are actively involved as it appears they may be it is a totally different ballgame."
you bet it is...it is the NBA finals...and kblb is a SLAM DUNK for AF funding...
"And those prices will be coming down over the coming years as they "ramp up" and "double"."
better hope so...lol...
but the problem is, those astronomical numbers are going to have to ramped up to the freakin moon!..."doubled"??....are you kidding me?...they will have to be doubled thousands of times...lmao
"As of the last financial, KBLB has an accumulated deficit of $47.2 MILLION."
the others are closing in a on billion dollars spent....we are going to concern ourselves with a few million??...COME ON MAN!
"They have produced maybe an ounce of spider-ish silk"
smh...thats the only way to try to make it look as bad as the others...by producing nonsense numbers pulled out of the nether regions...
utterly ridiculous
<< $133 mil per ton >>
And those prices will be coming down over the coming years as they "ramp up" and "double".
As of the last financial, KBLB has an accumulated deficit of $47.2 MILLION. They have produced maybe an ounce of spider-ish silk (for the Army contract, which they FAILED to deliver on). But let's be nice (for the Memorial Day weekend), and round it up to a pound.
That means that the current cost per metric ton for KBLB is about $104 BILLION.
That makes AMSilk, Spiber, et al a steal....
Wait for the WORLDWIDE LAUNCH this Fall by Spiber...
Now that is what I cal "COMING SOON...."
In every sense of the word.
Patience, as the FALL will be here in no time at all.
TRUISM
Because they've already tried that...
And [FAILED.
Remember the "winter of misgiving."
Along with their alleged solution that didn't alleviate the problems....
If they did:
The proclaimed website would be up and running and products would've been sold "in the coming weeks..."
At the very least, the brand would be announced by now.
Like they stated; instead of "coming years," as is presently the case.
Kings Group was right by not providing the 250K and removing them from the website.
Wasn't disrespectful on their behalf either; it's just business.
my thoughts...
the eggs for the contractor are coming from prodigy...prodigy is a controlled environment...they can do the sericulture and make it work...i thought that the plan was going to be to get prodigy up and running, make a few hundred tons and build another prodigy somewhere else...and then do it again and again...
but apparently that was too much work for kim...he doesnt want hundreds of employees and multiple facilities...and he wants more profit...
so he decides that prodigy will make the eggs and farm them out to contractors who will do all the real work...far easier for him and probably more profitable...especially if he owns a piece of the contractor...and who knows what else is going on that we dont know about, given how kim likes to do shady shit...
but staying on track with my post, the problem is, once you take the process out of a controlled environment and put it into uncontrolled vietnamese sericulture, things are quite likely to be a bit different...and as we are finding out, they are...
but its not the genetics...the worms are probably not acclimating well to the new environment...i dont find that shocking...and it appears that the fix is more husbandry than genetic modification...its breeding...
thats not to say that there may not be some genetic modifications to come...but that wont be to fix what has already been accomplished, genetically...it will be to fix a new problem...trying to solve a NEW problem doesnt mean there was something wrong with what has already been done....
i think part of the problem is kim is trying to prove he was correct when he said he could just do the "drop in and replace" thing...he may eventually prove that capability...but its taking a lot of time...wasted time imo...considering we could probably have been producing 50 tons at prodigy by now...
kim isnt trying to get a walk or a hit or even a home run...he wants a grand slam...SMH...
i dont mind going after a grand slam...but you gotta have people on base to do it...i would rather have seen a few hits and have the pps be decent WHILE he works on getting that grand slam...but that isnt how hes doing it...
personally, i think we are close...i think we can profitably produce a lot of DS with the contractor even while losing 20 or 30% of the worms...but kim wont move forward until he's much closer to perfection...again, SMGDH...
i think we are almost there...either we are close to kim's version of perfection or we are close to kim making the decision to start going with what kblb can do...
if kblb can make money, its time to start doing it...he can use that money to keep pursuing perfection...
and it wouldnt hurt for the AF to see that we can produce product profitably...even if not optimally...
Found the link to Theranos:
Spiber, Bolt, Amsilk:
- bright shiny objects with a few names behind them and a bunch of money thrown at them. Very little is actually known about the physical properties, cost structure, etc.
Theranos:
- bright shiny object, millions thrown at it with big names connected to it. No one seemed to know if or how it actually worked but, hey, it’s bright and shiny so it MUST be great, right?
We saw how that turned out for Theranos backers…
“The answer is far from a larger humidifier or little "tweak." “
And we know this how? Because you said so? Would love to have more to go on than one message board opinion.
Define “far from”?
Would be great to have actual facts vs an opinion with absolutely nothing backing it up to validate.
“Like Spiber, there is a lot we don’t know about their fibers. But they produced 6 metric tons of fiber last year”
Last year, it was reported that up to that point, spiber had so far used $800 mil to fund the company…they have raised much more since then…
I didn’t bother to look up Amsilk but since they are similar to spiber, the costs are likely the same…more or less…
$800 mil and likely closing in on a billion dollars of investment….for 6 tons of product…
$133 mil per ton…if they made 1000 tons, the results would still be astronomical…
And that’s just dividing by the amount of money invested…not the costs of production…
It’s true that spiber and amsilk have made some products…but I wouldnt declare any winners just yet….not with the above numbers…thats not sustainable….as Bolt understood long ago…which is why they got the heck out of that mess…
I agree and have been saying just that for quite some time now.
The answer is far from a larger humidifier or little "tweak."
Probably wouldn’t have had to be replaced if it was mechanical…and if it was spider silk, wouldn’t have had to take medication either…
What’s wrong with making things better?…
Let's boil it all down to what is wrong with KBLB up to now. Vietnam has everything needed to process cocoons to silk. Been doing it for centuries. So take them out of it.
It all hinges on KBLB not being able to create specific reliable and stable generations of silk worms. GENETICS! Are they fighting a loosing battle? I wish I knew.
“Until KBLB can actually make a product, they will remain the winners in this competition.
Ouch!”
Seems as if it is almost gleefully an “ouch”?
Haven’t we been through how brewed protein processes compare and contrast with what KBLB is attempting to do? Having a bunch of money thrown at something doesn’t mean it will work or be better. Just means there will be pressure on them to produce something, like we saw with Bolt.
KBLB needs to prove, document performance characteristics, etc but for the goo teams it’s enough that people dump money into them. “I’m sure that means it’s great” seems to be the working theory. For everyone besides KBLB anyway.
We know there is a cost structure issue with the goo crew and limitations on what they can produce compared to KBLB’s model but, again, we should just be good with ignoring that because, hey, a bunch of money is being thrown at it.
These goo companies seem like a better example of Theranos. No one knows much but big players are involved so it must be great!
LOL
“That is likely just an awkward translation.”
Of course. Let’s assume the best with Amsilk. That seems like the normal stance here, for any company not named KBLB.
For many, anyway.
<< AmSilk .... produced 6 metric tons of fiber last year and have collaborations with Mercedes-Benz, Adidas, and an aviation manufacturer. >>
Sounds like they "hit the ground running"....
That is likely just an awkward translation.
AmSilk produced 6 tons of their protein in 2022. KBLB: 0 tons.
AmSilk has announced a collaboration with Mercedes-Benz for the development of protein-based structural materials. They have also indicated they were working with an aircraft manufacturer for the same purpose. Previously they worked with Adidas to produce a tennis shoe whose upper was made from their proteins.
They currently have big-name collaborators across multiple industries.
Ouch.
AmSilk is probably not making a chimeric silk, but they are almost certainly not making a spider silk. Like Spiber, they are making a RSSP (recombinant spider silk protein). Why is this not a chimeric silk? I doubt they incorporated mundane silkworm protein sequences into their bacteria.
Like Spiber, there is a lot we don’t know about their fibers. But they produced 6 metric tons of fiber last year and have collaborations with Mercedes-Benz, Adidas, and an aviation manufacturer. They recently received 25 million euros from their venture capitalists to expand production.
No, we don’t know how strong their fibers are. No, we don’t know how much it costs to produce a metric ton. What we do know is that they are competing in markets that KBLB hopes to enter: technical and luxury textiles, medicine, and structural materials.
Until KBLB can actually make a product, they will remain the winners in this competition.
Ouch!
WRONG AGAIN MOJO !!! My dad had a pig valve for over 20 years ! Thankfully they replaced it in 90 minutes !! No medication needed brother !! Without it he was going to die !! 80 years old, his O2 was down to 70. KBLB can forget about that valve transplant. It’s a freaking dream brother !!! Plus 10 years of brutal experiments, which means 40 years to Kim the idiot.
"What ever they suggest is a fantasy with Kim at the helm. That’s the TRUTH !!"
and yet shares were recently purchased and it is believed that their value will double...off of fantasies??...
doubling ones money...gee...that sounds just terrible!...
"Remember when the thought of bullet proof underwear was a great idea for soldiers ?"
no...i dont remember that at all...i remember discussing the idea of spider silk clothing and underwear due to the fact that spider silk is biocompatable and if shot, spider silk clothing would not cause infections...
"And now we’re talking about miracle medical devices that WILL take years to develop."
why cant it just be medical devices?...why do they have to be called MIRACLE medical devices?...
"And as far as heart valves ? Forget about it. They already have that one nailed down."
just no possibility of improvement?...what they have is perfect?...really?...lol
"My dad was living proof at age 80. The first one they opened his chest for a 12 hour procedure at age 55. The 2nd procedure, 90 minutes going up through his artery."
organic pig or whatever) dont last as long as the mechanical ones...but with mechanical ones, anti rejection medication has to be taken daily for the rest of their lives....
im guessing your dad had to take drugs daily because of his mechanical heart valve...
a valve made of spider silk would probably last as long as a mechanical one and would be biocompatable....meaning no anti rejection medication....
so no...they dont "already have that one nailed down."...
"he has a ‘genius iq’ at two things: hiring and delegating"
the ability to hire half way decent employees is not "genius"...it is expected...just a part of the job...
besides, fraser left, kandy kane left, under mysterious circumstances...i believe "she who could not be named" is gone...Rice was a mediocre hire...at best...Ben has always sucked...the only one i thought was a really good hire was bruce lee...
i have never seen anything that i would consider "genius" in kim...unless it was maybe how he managed to extremely over pay himself and have most shareholders think that was ok...and the various ways he concocted shady financing arrangements that benefitted him and no one was willing to admit that truth...
"As long as he follows that formula, KBLB will be fine."
there is no "genius" in stepping aside and staying out of the way...but i do agree that would be best...
Seriously, 10 years from now as far as technology goes I would not hesitate. Unfortunately it will not be Kim Kblb. A much bigger company will come up with this.
I’ll tell you what would help, “ sarcasticly”. John Wick 4 armor provided by Kraig Biocraft industries. Lol
“In the last years, AMSilk could enter into several development agreements with leading global brands powered by the successful proof of industrial large-scale protein production.”
Another amazing nugget. If they can prove industrial scale production then they “could” enter into several agreements.
Just think about the lashing KBLB would get for such meaningless, forward looking statements.
LOL
“AMSilk’s silk proteins have higher purity and strength compared to traditional mulberry spinner silk”
So higher purity and strength than silk worm silk? Wow, take a bow!
SMH
I think possibly I’ve been around this mess more than you to believe any such possibilities. A lot of us have seen the horse and pony show. What ever they suggest is a fantasy with Kim at the helm. That’s the TRUTH !!
Depends on the news. ... evaluate then. .. if 8 cents on no news ... well, we saw just about that already so .. yes ... that would be a good choice on no news .. most likely.
KBLB is potentially going to start working on developing materials for the military through the Air Force RFI and you can conclusively say there will not be any interest in bullet proof/resistant materials created from spider silk? And there is “no way” a marketable medical application exists because there are already products on the market?
Think if we had stopped at horses for getting around because they already worked and cars would take decades to develop.
This is clearly a long play on “potentially” game changing, transformative technology. I wouldn’t rule it out just yet due to it not happening (yet).
This goes to .08 I’m selling. I’ll double my money and be pleased.
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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!
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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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