EAST LANSING, Mich., Dec. 9, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCBB:KBLB) is pleased to announce that Dr. Malcolm Fraser, working in cooperation with Dr. Wang, Dr. Sohn and other members of the scientific team, have succeeded in more than doubling the number of gene transfers performed and in greatly increasing productivity of the spider silk and high performance polymer development program.
"Until recently," said CEO Kim K. Thompson, "we were performing approximately 200 to 400 micro-injections for DNA transfer on a weekly basis. With the huge increase in brain-power that resulted from the University of Notre Dame's addition of Dr. Wang, Dr. Sohn and other scientists to the team, we have seen a dramatic increase in both the quality and quantity of the work performed. Significantly, we are currently performing approximately 1,000 gene transfers in a single week. That puts us well ahead of our development target. Every gene transfer performed has the potential to result in the development of a new polymer or high performance fiber."
"The new research team is proceeding in a systematic fashion to optimize the procedures to generate a good number of transgenic," said Dr. Fraser, a member of Kraig's Scientific Advisory Board and the head of the University of Notre Dame laboratory where the gene insertions are taking place. "Based upon what I see happening in the laboratory and with this team of scientists, I have every expectation that this is going to be a very good year," Dr. Fraser continued.
"This heightened pace," interjected Thompson, "has been accompanied by a reformulation of the DNA inserts. The increase in productivity has been so great that instead of using a single DNA construct, we are now using multiple constructs. This is a very exciting time for the research team and Kraig." The gene constructs are essentially packets of DNA which provide genetic instructions for the creation of new polymers and spider silk based fibers.
Kraig is working to develop and commercialize high performance polymers using spider silk gene sequences. The company plans to tap into the $92 billion market for high performance and technical fibers. In 2007 Kraig Biocraft Laboratories signed an intellectual property and collaborative research agreement with the University of Notre Dame. Since that time the Company has been a proud sponsor of scientific research within the university.
For more information on Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, and to hear an audio interview with Kraig's CEO, please visit the Company's web site: www.KraigLabs.com
Statements in this press release about the company's future and expectations other than historical facts are "forward-looking statements." These statements are made on the basis of management's current views and assumptions. As a result, there can be no assurance that management's expectations will necessarily come to pass. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such as "believes," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "foresees," "hopes," "develops", "researching," "research," "potential," "could" or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements in this release that describe the Company's business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals should all be considered forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Management cautions that its ability to further its research, and create commercially-viable products may be affected by the competitive environment, the Company's financial condition and its ability to raise sufficient capital to meet the financial obligations of its business plan and to fund its continuing operations.
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