{"id":107637,"date":"2022-04-13T07:32:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-13T05:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=107637"},"modified":"2022-04-08T15:56:41","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T13:56:41","slug":"seevix-replicates-spider-silk-to-produce-high-performance-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/seevix-replicates-spider-silk-to-produce-high-performance-products\/","title":{"rendered":"Seevix replicates spider silk to produce high performance products"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>In the 2017 film Spider-Man: Homecoming, actor Tom Holland\u2019s character Peter Parker decides to create his own web in his high school chemistry class. He could have made it with anything \u2013 fishing line, wire \u2013 but he chooses to replicate spider silk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why spider silk? The protein fiber used by spiders to make their webs may seem delicate, but it\u2019s actually at least five times stronger than steel and a fifth of its weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe combination of strength and elasticity makes the material very unique in terms of its ability to absorb energy,\u201d says Shlomzion Shen, an Israeli scientist with more than a decade of experience in biotechnology and medical device management. , <a href=\"https:\/\/nocamels.com\/2022\/04\/seevix-replicates-spider-silk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">at NoCamels<\/a>. \u201cThere are all kinds of calculations done by researchers around spider silk that say if you have a spider web that\u2019s the diameter of a pencil, it can stop a Boeing 747 in flight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spider-man\u2019s use of the spider silk web is based on reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"BorlabsCookie _brlbs-cb-youtube\"><div class=\"_brlbs-content-blocker\"> <div class=\"_brlbs-embed _brlbs-video-youtube\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"_brlbs-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/borlabs-cookie\/assets\/images\/cb-no-thumbnail.png\" alt=\"YouTube\"> <div class=\"_brlbs-caption\"> <p>By loading the video, you agree to YouTube&#8217;s privacy policy.<br><a href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/privacy?hl=en&amp;gl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Learn more<\/a><\/p> <p><a class=\"_brlbs-btn _brlbs-icon-play-white\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-unblock role=\"button\">Load video<\/a><\/p> <p><label><input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"unblockAll\" value=\"1\" checked> <small>Always unblock YouTube<\/small><\/label><\/p> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div><div class=\"borlabs-hide\" data-borlabs-cookie-type=\"content-blocker\" data-borlabs-cookie-id=\"youtube\"><script type=\"text\/template\">PGlmcmFtZSB0aXRsZT0iSG93IFJlYWxpc3RpYyBJcyBTcGlkZXItTWFuJiMwMzk7cyBXZWIgU2xpbmdpbmcgQW50aWNzPyIgd2lkdGg9IjUwMCIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyODEiIHNyYz0iaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS1ub2Nvb2tpZS5jb20vZW1iZWQvdnpxQkRXNWs3WGs\/ZmVhdHVyZT1vZW1iZWQiIGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyPSIwIiBhbGxvdz0iYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlcjsgYXV0b3BsYXk7IGNsaXBib2FyZC13cml0ZTsgZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhOyBneXJvc2NvcGU7IHBpY3R1cmUtaW4tcGljdHVyZTsgd2ViLXNoYXJlIiByZWZlcnJlcnBvbGljeT0ic3RyaWN0LW9yaWdpbi13aGVuLWNyb3NzLW9yaWdpbiIgYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuPjwvaWZyYW1lPg==<\/script><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But while spider silk has many unique properties that make it extremely versatile \u2013 it\u2019s used by spiders for transport, shelter, prey trapping and even courtship \u2013 Shen says spiders can also be extremely cannibalistic and territorial, and the amounts of spider silk can be very small. These and other reasons make it very difficult to extract their spider silk from the wild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During his years of research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) with other Israeli scientists, Shen realized that it was possible to \u201ctake the genetic code of spider silk and then transform it from synthetically into a certain biological production system\u201d. Thus, Seevix was born. The company, co-founded in 2014 by Shen, its current CEO, and fellow scientist HUJI Shmulik Ittah, manufactures SVX, a biopolymer material, which was created and patented based on this genetic code. Seevix is \u200b\u200ba spin-off from the Technology Transfer Branch of Hebrew University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe didn\u2019t take nature\u2019s code \u2014 nature\u2019s code can\u2019t be patented. We were actually able to understand in this DNA code, what is important to keep in order to generate the functionality of these proteins and to generate something that can be produced in a biological system different from that of the spider. This genetic code, unique to us, has been patented,\u201d Shen explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seevix seeks to \u201crevolutionize materials science\u201d by using the unique natural properties of spider silk to create high-performance products that improve people\u2019s lives. The team includes a team of 15 employees made up of Jerusalem-based biologists, engineers, chemists and engineers. The company has many private investors from around the world, including Europe, Australia and the United States, Shen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through a fermentation process, what is actually produced is a macromolecule, which is not a long fiber of spider silk, Shen adds. It is a small particle composed of the proteins that are generated in the production system. These proteins spontaneously self-assemble into nanofibers. The nanofibers come together in a sophisticated design of a macromolecule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though the material comes in a powder form and bears no resemblance to the string one might imagine as spider silk, \u201cit really does resemble the sophisticated design that nature provides and that spiders can produce. And that no artificial spinning can generate,\u201d Shen says, calling it material composed of the \u201choly grail\u201d properties of spiders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cells, cosmetics and cultured meat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In his role as CEO, Shen sought to find practical ways to use the material commercially, while being able to produce large quantities and keep it profitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, the material is used for a number of unique products, including a vegan cosmetic product being developed to protect hair and skin from pollution. It also has the potential to be used in technical textiles, body armor, plastics and the <a href=\"https:\/\/darbydowns.org\/january-small-business-award-honors-local-automotive-store-press-releases\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">automotive industry<\/a>, according to Shen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She tells NoCamels that after the venture capital arm of Japanese sportswear company ASICS invested in Seevix in 2020, the company also began developing sportswear using the silk-inspired material. company\u2019s SVX spider. ASICS sportswear has become the official apparel and apparel sponsor of the Australian Olympic team and has partnered with the Philippine Olympic Committee as the apparel and apparel partner during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. ASICS introduced SVX as the core technology of their sportswear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shen also says that products made with SVX can be made antimicrobial due to their surface and load-bearing capacity, which means they can be loaded with antibiotics and coated with copper and zinc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThink of filters that can capture the virus or bacteria, like the ones that come in masks,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2022\/04\/svxpowder2.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration of the Seevix biopolymer, which mimics the properties of spider silk.\" class=\"wp-image-107663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2022\/04\/svxpowder2.jpg 640w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2022\/04\/svxpowder2-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2022\/04\/svxpowder2-150x94.jpg 150w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2022\/04\/svxpowder2-400x250.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption>Illustration of the Seevix biopolymer, which mimics the properties of spider silk. Courtesy<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The team behind Seevix first experimented with incorporating it into standard materials like nylon, polyurethane, and latex to generate mechanically enhanced durable materials that also had unique properties, like improved resilience and tear resistance. In 2018, Shen says the company had \u201cchanged the organic system so it could produce higher quantities at relative costs.\u201d Today, the company\u2019s manufacturing facility at Hadassah Medical Center produces hundreds of kilograms of material per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the company\u2019s commercialized products is to use the material as a scaffold to grow cells \u201clike tissue or in the form of tissue,\u201d Shen says. To grow in this way \u2013 as tissue \u2013 cells need mechanical support and need to be in their physiological environment. Seevix\u2019s material is biocompatible as it is based on 100% pure protein, which means it also has the mechanical ability to provide the mechanical support needed to grow cells in a 3D format as tissue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNow this, of course, can be a scaffold for tissue engineering and for tissue modeling, for bioprinting. But also for cultured meat,\u201d Shen says, \u201cif you want. If you want to do to push a cell into a steak, you need a scaffold that will hold those cells as they grow tightly together and mechanically hold them down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In May, the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) awarded Seevix a grant to set up its industrial manufacturing plant. Later that year, the authority invited the company to join its Cultured Meat Consortium, one of four consortia for Cultured Meat, Insect Breeding, Fluid Sampling for Medical Diagnosis and human-robot interface, established by the IIA. The IIA has approved $69 million over the next three years for these consortia, a group of companies and research institutions coming together to develop common technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ultimate goal is to incorporate the raw material into other products. \u201cSeevix\u2019s business model is kind of like an enabling technology with a material that gets incorporated into a next-gen product. After the collaboration phase, we want them to produce the end product and sell it. So the end product will be sold by our partners after we sell the raw material to them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the 2017 film Spider-Man: Homecoming, actor Tom Holland\u2019s character Peter Parker decides to create his own web in his high school chemistry class. He could have made it with anything \u2013 fishing line, wire \u2013 but he chooses to replicate spider silk. Why spider silk? The protein fiber used by spiders to make their [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"The company, co-founded in 2014 as \u200b\u200ba spin-off from the Technology Transfer Branch of Hebrew University, manufactures SVX, a biopolymer material, which was created and patented based on its genetic code","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[5838,15657,12981,13831],"supplier":[20164,4500,20165,20163],"class_list":["post-107637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-bioeconomy","tag-naturalfiber","tag-protein","tag-spidersilk","supplier-asics","supplier-hebrew-university-of-jerusalem","supplier-israel-innovation-authority-iia","supplier-seevix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107637\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107637"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=107637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}