spider silk

AMSilk and 21st.BIO join forces to scale silk protein materials production.

© AMSilk
Materials

AMSilk and 21st.BIO Forge Alliance to Scale Bioproduced Spider Silk Proteins “From Kilos to Tons”

German Biotech AMSilk GmbH announces a partnership with the Danish bioproduction leader 21st.BIO, to accelerate the production of advanced bioproduced spider silk proteins to meet the growing demand for sustainable material solutions. As part of the collaboration, 21st.BIO has developed precision-fermented microorganisms that can be used to produce silk proteins on an industrial scale. According to 21st.BIO, the new strain ensures the extracellular expression of silk proteins while enabling biomanufacturing at unprecedented productivity levels, supporting higher yield, greater efficiency, and reduced production costs.  Gudrun Vogtentanz, CSO at AMSilk, shares: “Through 21st.BIO, we now have access to more efficient production strains, which are a game changer in terms of the efficiency and sustainability of our feedstock. Moving production quantities from kilos to tons brings AMSilk’s technology to the next …

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AMSilk vegan spider silk

© AMSilk

Materials

AMSilk Vegan Silk Can Prevent Infections and Post-Op Complications, Says New Study 

A new study has demonstrated that AMSilk engineered vegan spider silk coatings have the potential to prevent inflammation and reduce post-operative complications of implants. AMSilk is one of the world’s first industrial suppliers of vegan silk biopolymers, with results showing the repellence properties of its coatings reduced microbial adherence up to 99.7%.  The study, published in the MRS Communications journal, was led by Professor Thomas Scheibel, Professor of Biomaterials and Head of the Department at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. His team tested the microbe repellence of AMSilk engineered spider silk coatings on a number of silicone implant materials against bacterial strains. The results proved the vegan spider silk coatings work by creating an anti-adhesive “bioshield” thus reducing the chance of infections considerably.  Headquartered in …

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Xampla

©Xampla
Sustainability / Environment

Finding Solutions in Nature: Will Xampla’s ‘Vegan Spider Silk’ Put Single-Use Plastic out of Business? 

UK University of Cambridge spin-off startup Xampla has developed compostable plastic-free sachets and capsules made of a next-gen “vegan spider silk”. The plant-based polymer biomaterial will be introduced soon and may spell the end for single-use plastic.  Mimicking the properties of spider silk – one of the strongest materials found in nature – even down to the molecular level, the biomaterial is biodegradable, marine-degradable, and claimed to be as strong as conventional plastic. Expected to launch in late 2021 in packaging applications, the material could have enormous potential if adopted at scale.  Originally developed in Cambridge’s Knowles research lab, the “vegan spider silk” was featured in a recent paper published in the journal Nature Communications. Xampla, the startup that evolved from the research project, will …

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Goldwin X Spiber

©Goldwin Sports
Fashion, Design & Beauty

Vegan Spider Silk ‘Spiber’ Could Revolutionise the Future of the Apparel Industry

“The Sweater” – the latest product from Goldwin to feature a brewed protein which mimics spider silk called Spiber, has launched in Japan, the United States, and several European countries. Similar to spider silk, Spiber’s new fibre is made of high-performance biomaterials but is in fact a  plant biomass that is produced by a fermentation process.

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