Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, a leading developer of spider silk based fibres, is now in the process of assessing its needs for additional mulberry trees having completed planting first 2,000 mulberry trees at its Texas location. These trees will be used to supply the company’s US recombinant spider silk operations with fresh mulberry leaves.

The company expecting harvesting these leaves to begin in the third or fourth quarter of this year It will also make a decision regarding additional plantings later this year.

The company has invested a tremendous amount of effort over the last thirty days preparing the new Texas facility and planting these first 2,000 trees, said COO Jon Rice. Those long days and a handful of fire ant bites have rewarded them, with what they expect, will be the capacity to support all of their US silk production without the need of expensive artificial diet. They are looking forward to their first harvest this fall.

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories has received contract worth of up to US$ 1 million from the US Army, for the development of high performance fibres for protective apparel applications, in summer 2016. Under the fully funded base effort, valued at US$ 99,962, the company was contracted to deliver ballistic shoot packs constructed from its proprietary Dragon Silk material for performance testing.

These shoot packs will be tested and evaluated for critical soldier protective applications including ballistic impact. If awarded, the option phase will significantly expand this work with the US Army, according to the company.

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, a fully reporting biotechnology company is a leading developer of genetically engineered spider silk based fibre technologies. Its genetic engineering research has succeeded in developing a practical and cost-effective technology for producing recombinant spider silk based fibres on an industrial scale.

The company will continue to work in cooperation with leading laboratories to create new stronger and more flexible spider silk based fibres with potentially broad applications for consumers and industry in the multi-billion-dollar marketplace for textiles and performance polymers.

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories is moving rapidly to commercialize its spider silk technology, which it believes will have a significant impact on the global textiles industry.