Hybrid silkworms spinning larger cocoons

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc. recently announced the first production of recombinant spider silk cocoons from the new line of hybrid transgenic silkworms created at its Michigan production and research facility.

The new line was created by combining one of Kraig Biocraft’s best performing recombinant spider silk lines with a commercial strain, resulting in the largest cocoons in the company’s history. Some cocoons were nearly twice as large as the original spider silk line cocoons.

Larger cocoons are expected to reduce operating and handling costs and yield longer threads. Mechanical performance testing of the new hybrid spider silk is expected to begin shortly. The company is a fully reporting biotechnology company developing genetically engineered spider silk–based fiber technologies.