Kraig Labs, a developer of spider silk based fibers, has developed a new program to prevent viral pathogens from harming silk production. The company has developed its first immune-enhancing genetic insert to create disease-resistant silkworms. It is now ready for its first round of transgenic creation and resistance testing. This effort was done in a parallel, and complementary, effort to the company’s ground-breaking program developing high-performance spider silk inspired silk fibers and yarns, the company said in a media statement.

The company anticipates its development of a disease resistant silkworm could be licensed across the global silk industry. The success of this program will also provide significant opportunities for growth far beyond the reach of Kraig’s in-house production capacity, with licensing applications globally.