Business

Kraig Biocraft To Mass Produce High-Tech Silk In Vietnam

A company with ties to the University of Notre Dame has been awarded an investment certificate for the production of high-tech silk in Vietnam, according to a news release.

The certificate represents the final step before Lansing, Mich.-based Kraig Biocraft Laboratories seeks central government approval for the world's first recombinant spider silk production facility. The project is a partnership among Kraig Biocraft Laboratories and researchers at Notre Dame and the University of Wyoming, including Malcolm Fraser Jr., a professor of biological sciences at Notre Dame. With help from researchers at Wyoming, Fraser engineered a silkworm to produce fibres that are stronger, finer and more elastic than naturally spun silkworm fibres, similar to spider silk. Possible commercial applications for the product include surgical sutures, healing bandages, ligament repair, bulletproof vests, athletic clothing and improved automobile airbags.