ANN ARBOR, Mich., – March 28, 2024 –Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB) (“Kraig Labs” or “the Company”), comments on an exciting advancement in spider silk engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (“RPI”).
Researchers at RPI published a paper in Microbial Cell Factories outlining a new and novel method of creating spider silk protein from waste plastics.
This project used a new strain of Pseudomonas bacteria capable of converting depolymerized polyethylene into targeted recombinant proteins. While this work is in the early stages, it shows the potential for this process to create spider silk-like proteins from partially decomposed plastics.
Plastic wastes continue to accumulate globally, resulting in disposal and recycling challenges as well as increased levels of microplastics showing up in our food and water supplies. Creating useful and easily biodegradable silk proteins from these materials could help alleviate this growing concern.
“I am encouraged to see the continued focus and breadth of research developing in the field of spider silk technologies,” said CEO and Founder, Kim Thompson. “While this approach using bacteria doesn’t directly create silk fibers, the potential impact of creating technologies to address the growing plastic waste and convert that into useful and biodegradable materials is very exciting. We congratulate the team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for their work. While our production methods have no direct connection to the work at RPI, the commonality is environmentally friendly spider silk through molecular biology.”
Kraig Labs’ recombinant spider silk production model utilizes traditional silk production systems involving planting mulberry trees to harvest and feed the leaves to silkworms. The Company’s specialized silkworms have been scientifically enhanced through molecular biology to create recombinant spider silk cocoons that are reeled to produce spider silk yarns and fabrics. Kraig Labs is currently working to expand its spider silk production footprint. The Company’s CEO and its leading sericulture expert are currently in Southeast Asia working to prepare for the launch of the Company’s spring 2024 production trials and the 2024 silk production season.
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About Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc.
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (www.KraigLabs.com), a reporting biotechnology company is the leading developer of recombinant spider silk-based fiber technologies.
The Company has achieved a series of scientific breakthroughs in the area of spider silk technology with implications for the global textile industry.
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Ben Hansel, Hansel Capital, LLC
(720) 288-8495