Genetic Engineering

[David Morris]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAFQSEWLWC.html

Transplantation Results in First-Time Production of Spider Silk From Mammal 
Cells
By Randolph E. Schmid Associated Press Writer
Published: Jan 18, 2002

WASHINGTON (AP) - By transplanting genes from a spider into cow and hamster 
cells, scientists have caused those cells to produce the protein that makes 
spider silk, a step that could point the way to commercial production of the 
tough fiber.
Spider silk has long been admired for its strength and durability and 
producing it has been a goal of researcher. They anticipate a range of uses, 
from surgical thread to soft body armor.

It hasn't been possible to develop "spider farms," however, leading 
researchers to seek other means of producing the silk.

The process developed by Nexia Biotechnologies Inc., of Montreal, Quebec, 
and U.S. Army researchers in Natick, Mass., has produced small amounts of 
silk so far.

But Nexia President Jeffrey Turner says he can increase production to 
commercial scale using goats that would produce the silk protein in their 
milk.




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