Spiber hopes that these synthetic filaments can be spun into cold-proof coats and seat fabrics Image credit: KIYOSHI OTA / BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES
The taupe of spider silk began in the 1810s, when Franois Xavier Bon de Saint Hilaire, president of the French Royal Society of Sciences in Montpellier, wrote in a letter to his colleague: 'You will be amazed to hear Spider-generated silk is just as beautiful, firm and smooth as regular silk. "Modern touches proclaim that spider silk is 5 times tougher than steel but still more flexible than rubber.If it can be made into a rope, then one Large-scale network will be able to nest a jet airliner.
The key word is 'if.' The researchers first cloned the spider silk gene in 1990 to make it implantable in other organisms to produce silk. Spiders are not able to be bred like silkworms because of their site-specific and Today, E. coli, yeasts, plants, silkworms and even goats are genetically engineered to produce spider silk proteins in large quantities, although these proteins are usually shorter and simpler than spiders' own proteins, and the company has successfully transferred these proteins Tough enough high line , Resulting in prototypes of clothing, including running shoes from Adidas and light-duty coats from North Face Inc. However, so far, the company is still trying to mass-produce such garments.
Some executives said they could eventually change tactics, said Bolt Threads, a startup based in Emeryville, California, which said it has improved its method of growing spider silk proteins in yeast and is expected to produce tons of spider silk per year. In Lansing, Mich., The Kraig Biocraft lab said it will only be able to make a massive blend of spider silk and silkworms that require only final negotiations with Vietnam's silkworm farms, and the U.S. military is currently testing it for use in ballistic Learning to Protect. "There has been tremendous progress in this area since the 1990s, when mass spider silk production seemed out of reach at both functional and commercial scales." The Royal Swedish Institute of Technology College biochemist My Hedhammar said.
However, many biotechnology and research observers are cautious about the prospect of large-scale production of spider silk ropes and fibers.'Today, there is no such step in this area. '' Cheryl Hayashi, a spider silk geneticist at the Museum of Natural History in the United States, We still can not see these things on the store shelves.
The dream is to replicate the toughest of the seven filaments spit out: the spider web that holds the spider online and contains seven spider silk proteins, each of the largest molecules 600 kilo Daltons (kDa), almost double the size of normal human proteins, making it harder to produce in genetically modified organisms Most companies choose to produce versions from 50 to 200 kDa because they are more easily Expression. "These smaller proteins tend to produce less robust and flexible filaments." In some ways, as the protein gets smaller, the mechanical properties get lost, "Utah State University chemist Randy Lewis said." The Lewis team First cloned spider silk gene.
In the meantime, studies have shown that it is also difficult to mimic the way spider mites spun silk proteins into fibers, and Lewis is currently able to spin spider silk proteins into water-insoluble fibers and eliminate the need for expensive and potentially poisonous organic solvents Demand. The team led by fluid physicist Daniel Sderberg at the Royal Institute of Technology found a way to align spider silk proteins to form fibers using linearized cellulose fibers in wood and paper. However, these are commercially available Silk spinning into fibers is another story: 'Larger scale is a huge challenge,' says Lin Rmer, chief technology officer at AMSilk, a start-up for spider silk in Munich, Germany.
Spider silk proteins are on the market, but only in the field of cosmetics and medical devices, not in high-strength fibers AMSilk spider silk protein is grown in Escherichia coli and the purified protein is dried to form a powder or It is incorporated into gels for use as an adjunct to personal care products such as moisturizing lotions.It is said that spider silk proteins help the emulsion to form a very smooth and breathable protective layer on the skin.Rmer said that at present the company annually Will sell tons of purified spider silk protein composition.
AMSilk is also completing a clinical trial of silicone breast implants containing the company's spider silk proteins that are said to be almost immune to the immune system because they contain highly repetitive small amino acid sequences, Tetrafluoroethylene or stainless steel more easily get rid of bacteria.Rmer said that these advantages should enable companies to use spider silk wrapped to improve a variety of implants from the hip to the catheter.Kraig Biocraft laboratory and based in Stockholm, Spiber Technologies Said they are also developing similar applications.
