Artificial spider webs made in Japan

Since centuries ago people tried to take the silk of spiders. Strong fiber produced by this animal not only can be used in ensnare prey, also is unique because it is strong and durable for use as a fabric material.

Japanese startup Spiber Inc. is working on mass-producing artificial spider silk, an extremely strong, light and stretchable fiber that has so far been very hard to produce on a large scale. (Picture from: http://www.gizmag.com/)

Spiber says its thread is spun into fabric 
that equals steel in tensile strength yet 
is flexible like rubber. (Picture from:  
http://indo.wsj.com/)

Now, a Japanese startup company named Spiber Inc. successfully create an artificial fiber spider webs. The company even claims their product is as strong as steel but pliable like rubber.

Spiber hopes to roll out more threads through the mass production in the next two years. When smooth, Spiber production will open the doors of innovation in the manufacture of products that are lightweight yet strong need, such as automotive parts, surgical instruments, as well as bulletproof vests. "Spider fiber is an amazing material, very thin, strong and flexible. It can absorb a lot of energy," said President Spiber Inc., Kazuhide Sekiyama.

Spiber bioengineers bacteria with recombinant 
DNA to produce spider-thread proteins, and then
isolates those proteins into a fine powder, which 
can be pushed through a hollowed-out needle tip 
to form wispy thread. One gram of the protein 
produces about 5.6 miles of silk. (Picture from:  
http://online.wsj.com/)

Spider silk owes its amazing properties to a protein named fibroin. Proteins are the catalyst for most chemical reactions inside a cell and help bind cells together into tissues. They are long chains of about 20 different types of aminoacids, which can combine into a nearly infinite number of configurations.

The complex sequence of aminoacids that make up fibroin is proving tough to recreate in a lab. A "spider farm" wouldn't produce nearly enough silk for industrial use, so companies around the world are turning to genetic engineering instead. Some companies modified goats to produce milk containing spider silk; others used silkworms to the same end; and others yet are using genetically modified bacteria.

Then, the company synthesizes a fibroin-producing gene, modifying it in such a way that it will produce that specific molecule. The company adopts its own system of gene synthesis, which can produce large quantities of DNA for the fibroin gene in only three days.

Spiber created this dress made from its
artificial spider thread, but it hopes to open 
the door for applications such as auto parts,
surgical materials and bulletproof vests.
(Picture from: http://online.wsj.com/)

Microbes are then modified with the fibroin gene to produce the candidate molecule, which is turned into a fine powder and then spun. The bacteria feed on sugar, salt and other micronutrients and can reproduce in just 20 minutes. A single gram of the protein produces about 5.6 miles (9 km) of artificial silk.

The artificial protein derived from fibroin has been named QMONOS, from the Japanese word for spider. The substance can be turned into fiber, film, gel, sponge, powder, and nanofiber form to suit a number of different needs.

The biggest problem for Spiber is how strong the artificial spider silk of mass produced result (the obstacles that have tripped researchers in the past). According to Spiber, they need to conduct experiments to protect the fibers from damage, such as by wearing outer layer of resin. As with other organic materials, the Spiber Inc. artificial fibers eventually be damaged by time.

Spibers also says it is building a trial manufacturing research plant, aiming to produce 100 kg (220 lb) of QMONOS fiber per month by November. The pilot plant will be ready by 2015, by which time the company aims to produce 10 metric tons (22,000 lb) of silk per year. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SPIBER | THE WALL STREET JOURNAL | GIZMAG]
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