Giant spider provides inspiration for biotech start-up
A South China-dwelling spider that makes four metre webs and is capable of eating snakes is the inspiration behind a fibre that can provide skin-friendly properties.
Chinese synthetic biotechnology company Link Spider studies the DNA of insects and animals, and can replicate them into proteins that can be embedded into yarns.
Co-founder Suzan Liang told Sportstexiles that despite the spiders’ size, they are “lovely”: “It is not venomous and not harmful to humans.”
The nascent company spent more than two years working at lab level but has now scaled up to facilities that include an R&D lab, protein production and fibre extrusion, and can work with local yarn and fabric mills to create a whole package for customers.
Ms Liang explained: “We have to learn from nature. For instance, squid can resist sunlight, but in fashion, sun-blocking fabrics – made with either chemicals or the knitting process – are often not breathable. We synthesise the DNA into microbeads to replicate the properties and they are then easy to scale up. We have a big bank of proteins that we can embed into cellulose, meaning the price comes down and they are affordable.”
InkCell, based on the squid, provides UVP 50+ protection; MiteZero, based on predatory mites, repels against bedbugs and insects; and it also offers proteins based on bees.
Link Spider tutored students for the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition initiated by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), studying the spiders and mapping their DNA. The work fed into its gene library for spider silk genes.
