Photo credit: Junpeng Mi
A team of scientists, led by Junpeng Mi, from Donghua University in China have created a spider silk that is 6-times stronger than Kevlar by using genetically engineered silkworms. CRISPR enabled the scientists to insert the genes responsible for making spider silk proteins into silkworms.
This resulted in silkworms making 100% spider silk that could withstand a stretching force of 1299 megapascals without breaking, which means it’s 1.3 times stronger than nylon. It can absorb 319 megajoules per cubic metre, making it even tougher than bulletproof Kevlar. The goal would be to mass produce this super spider silk, which may eventually be used as surgical suturing thread or in bulletproof vests.
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Spider silk stands as a strategic resource in urgent need of exploration. The exceptionally high mechanical performance of the fibers produced in this study holds significant promise in this field. This type of fiber can be utilized as surgical sutures, addressing a global demand exceeding 300 million procedures annually,” said Junpeng Mi, Researcher at the College of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Donghua University.
