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Refined Spidersilk Synthesis: New High-Tensile Material Enabling Novel Structures and Invention

This article explores the synthesis of refined spidersilk, a material that is 5 times stronger than steel by weight. Its significance and potential uses, such as cables, sutures, ligament replacements, and bulletproof vests, are discussed. The competitors and known challenges in the field are also outlined. Sources and ideas for further research are provided.

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Refined Spidersilk Synthesis: New High-Tensile Material Enabling Novel Structures and Invention

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  1. Three Will       Ben         Jose       Alvin

  2. Refined Spidersilk Synthesis New high tensile material enabling novel structures and invention

  3. Significance and Uses • The suggested form was dragline silk • 5 times stronger than steel by weight • Uses would include cables, sutures, ligament replacements, bulletproof vests,

  4. Competitors • Recombinant silkworms (2)‏ • BioSteel (recombinant goats) (1)‏ • Recombinant salmonella • Kelvar • Normal Steel • Forcible and Natural Silk harvesting

  5. Knowns • Comprised of 2 proteins, coded for by genes MaSdI and MaSdII or ADF-3 and ADF-4 (1)‏ • Difficulties in cloning entire genes because of large repeating sequences, so recombinant are usually shortened versions (3) • ‏Also, really large proteins (200-350 kD), which make secretion difficult (1)‏ • There is a process for wet-spinning the recombinant silk (4)‏ • Biological Structure of a spider's spinneret (1)

  6. Unknowns • How to deal successfully with and isolate the entirety of ADF-3, even with large repeating sequences • How to get a cell to secrete a protein that is 200+ kD • Easy purification of silk proteins • Finer spinning process

  7. Sources • http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1885213/ • http://www.springerlink.com/content/n23g1p106512k447/ • http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/01/0117_020117TVspidermammals.html • http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/295/5554/472?ijkey=hq9P3a.MOxB5w&keytype=ref&siteid=sci

  8. Idea: Biotic Antibiotics • Current antibiotics very broad-spectrum • Increasing occurrence of antibiotic resistance • Supply of medication to third world • Inability of immune system to evolve rapidly

  9. Idea: Biotic Antibiotics • Biological solution to biological problem • Potential for great specificity • Not susceptible to resistant strains • Marginal cost zero • Augmentation to human immune system

  10. Idea: Biotic Antibiotics Competition: • Existing medical treatments (antibiotics) • Social resistance • Human Immune System • Evolution

  11. Known Humans symbiotic Pre-existing 'probiotics' Bacteria compete to extinction Engineered kill-switches exist Unknown Safety considerations Attack methods other than competition  Rate dynamics Targeting and encapsulation Idea: Biotic Antibiotics

  12. Idea: Tunicate-based lithium refinement • Half the world's accessible lithium in Bolivia: 5.4M tons • Modern batteries entirely lithium-based • Energy crunch • Global warming

  13. Idea: Tunicate-based lithium refinement • Seawater: 230 billion tons of lithium • Tunicates concentrate Li and V up to 1M x • Biological power generation • Metal refining: nearfree

  14. Idea: Tunicate-based lithium refinement Competition: • Current lithium refinement methods • Coal, oil power • Solar, wind power; biodiesel • Evolution

  15. Known Tunicates can do it How to knock out a gene How material purification works Unknown Best implementation of gene Specific pathway tunicates use Controls for and constraints on system Idea: Tunicate-based lithium refinement

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