Goats and Spiders: Do You Think They Make a Good Match?  

What could this little arthropod that scares so many people possibly have in common with a mammal such as a goat? If you ask Jeffrey Turner, President and Chief Executive Officer at Nexia Biotechnologies Inc., he will tell you that there is a very obvious link between the two. Let me explain. 

Following university studies in chemistry and molecular biology, Dr. Turner taught for a number of years at McGill University in Montreal. In 1993, he founded what is currently the largest Canadian biotechnology company involved in the development of transgenic animals. Supported by the expertise of chief researchers Drs. Keefer Karatzas, Lazaris and Baldassarre, Nexia’s mandate is  clear: to produce pharmaceutical proteins and biomaterials in the milk of transgenic animals such as goats, in order to make these proteins available on a large scale to humans. Scottish researchers, for example, have already succeeded in having a human coagulation factor secreted in the milk of a transgenic sheep. Once it is extracted, isolated and purified in the laboratory, this protein available in large quantities can be used to treat patients with hemophilia, a condition in which the blood does not clot normally. 

So what is transgenesis, and how do you produce a transgenic goat? To understand properly, you should first know that every living creature has specific genes that translate into particular characteristics peculiar to each species. This is also what differentiates us from each other. For example, spiders’ genes contain genetic information for producing spider silk or webs, whereas the genes of mammals such as goats contain genetic information for the production of milk. Transgenesis results from transferring a particular gene from one species (in our case the spider silk gene) and introducing it through transgenic manipulation into the genetic information of a second species (in this case, the goat). Using transgenesis such as DNA (universal gene molecule) microinjection techniques, Nexia has been able to produce a goat capable of secreting spider silk protein in its milk (BioSteel® project).   

Why is it a good idea to use goats to produce this spider silk protein? Using goats simply means that it will be available on a large scale and will help commercialize the product. And why commercialize it? Because it has been established that this very special spider silk is the strongest material known. For example, it is 25 percent lighter and much more resistant than synthetic fibres, which makes it a top choice candidate for the manufacture of bulletproof clothing. It is also expected to be very useful in making biological prostheses, and it has possibilities for applications in the automobile and aerospace industries as well.  

Do you think the project is finished? Not yet. Chemists and molecular biologists must find a way to extract, isolate and purify the approximately 1-10 gm of spider silk protein per litre of milk. But this is not all, because the chemists’ final task will be to play Spiderman and find the method and procedure required to transform the silk protein into strong, resistant thread for the manufacture of bulletproof vests. To learn more about the success of this young Canadian company, why not visit their Web site at http://www.nexiabiotech.com