New Fabric: Spider Silk is a Hopeful Creation

New Fabric: Spider Silk is a Hopeful Creation

Christina Suarez, Staff Writer

Nature has provided a refreshingly new solution to the garment, commercial, and industrial companies- Spider Silk. Spider Silk, is a similar yet vastly improved innovation of regular silk which is made from silk worms. This silk is made from the protein-based fibers, spiders produce naturally, and presents hope to the planet’s environmental crisis. Although, given spider’s cannibalistic nature it is still being researched, how spider silk may be produced in large commercial quantities effectively. Spider silk reveals possibilities of even being used for structural material due to its strength for lightweight and heavyweight. However, Kraig of Kraig Biocraft Laboratories has discovered spider silk can be manipulated by genetic engineering in order to fulfill the possibilities it poses. Kraig decided to gain the exclusive right and, “use the patented genetic sequences for numerous fundamental spider silk proteins.” The potential of spider silk seems promising considering the officials in charge of the research and experimenting have been collaborating with leading universities that have had success in many other genetic engineering endeavors. The process of the production of spider silk involves the well-known and efficient silk-worm. The silk worm appears ideal for genetically engineering spider silk because it already produces silk effectively for commercial and industrial companies. Spider silk appears to be one of the most strongest natural materials, and given its advanced mechanical characteristics, will be more sufficient than today’s high-performance fiber. Spider Silk’s commercial introduction, and the product’s superiority predicts a higher demand and more market opportunities. Spider Silk is an answer the textile and industrial companies have been looking for due to the rapid expansion of demand. Genetically engineered spider silk is not synthetic spider silk. Genetically engineered spider silk is made by the silk worm with the fiber composed naturally from the protein of the genetically engineered silkworm. Kraig’s two most popular versions of Spider Silk are DragonSilk, and its “sister” product-MonsterSilk, they are both spun by lines of their transgenic silkworms. These are made from a combination of spider silk protein and silkworm silk protein. These innovations of spider silk are predicted to offer solutions and a high demand in both the technical textile and generic garment companies. Overall, Spider Silk’s unique and sustainable properties deem it an outstanding creation for industrial, consumer, and commercial companies needing a strong, versatile fabric.