Scientists develop technology to produce ultra-strong spider silk

SEOUL, July 27 (Yonhap) - South Korean scientists said Tuesday that they have developed a technology to artificially create spider dragline silk proteins that can be used to make ultra-strong synthetic fibers and bulletproof vests.

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) team led by biomolecular engineering professor Lee Sang-yup said they have used a new "systems metabolic engineering" process to produce the fiber that has tensile strength superior to that of high-grade steel.

The discovery has been published in the latest on-line issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a U.S. science journal. "Tests conducted on the fiber showed it has the strength of Kevlar, which is widely used to make bulletproof vests and parachutes, and could have wide-ranging applications in the medical sector," the scientists said.

Such materials have the potential to be used to make artificial ligaments, surgical thread or heavy-duty construction supplies like suspension bridge cables.

He said that while many attempts have been made to create synthetic spider silk, all have failed due to the high concentration of the amino acid glycine in the fiber protein, which could not be copied.

The KAIST professor said that because a viable production process has been developed, additional work could create material with superior commercial characteristics.

Lee said that research and preliminary testing took over two years with funding provided by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. (YONHAP)