Genetically modified silkworms that spew spider silk can now produce fibers six times stronger than Kevlar for bulletproof vests.
Scientists at Donghua University in China have announced that they have synthesized spider silk from genetically modified silkworms, creating a fiber that is six times stronger than
High-strength and ultra-tough whole spider silk fibers spun from transgenic silkworms: Matter
https://www.cell.com/matter/fulltext/S2590-2385(23)00421-6
Spider silk is spun by silkworms for the first time, offering a green alternative to synthetic fibers
Synthetic fibers such as nylon and Kevlar use fossil fuels during production, which is a cause for concern about environmental pollution. As the usage of these materials increases, there is a need to develop alternative, environmentally friendly and sustainable materials.
Mi Junpeng of Donghua University and his colleagues injected a plasmid mixture edited using the gene editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 into eggs, giving birth to silkworms that can spin spider silk.
The fibers obtained from silkworms had more than six times the toughness of Kevlar and also had excellent tensile strength .
Silkworm silk is distributed as silk, but it is not as strong as spider silk, so its use is limited to clothing. Spider silk, on the other hand, is known as a strong fiber comparable to synthetic fibers, but it is difficult to commercialize it due to the cannibalistic nature of spiders.
It is hoped that this research will facilitate the commercialization of fibers that are stronger than artificially produced spider silk. 'This opens the door to the commercialization of spider silk. This fiber offers promising potential as an alternative to synthetic fibers,' said Junpen and colleagues.
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