ＱＭＯＮＯＳ.

If people sending huge nest in the new fiber with a diameter of 1 cm, a jumbo jet in take-off can be captured intact?! Talk like this SF, is about to become a reality. The successful development of the fiber as close as possible to the thread of natural spider that combines the strength and suppleness, of trying to Fumikiro in industrial production venture Supaiba.
Supaiba the new plant under construction was in the snow deep countryside. About 20 minutes by car from Shonai Airport. From this spring in the grounds adjacent to the Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, which is set up, I will embark on mass production of artificial spider silk fiber. Spent a lot of time on basic research, it was Kogitsuke from its founding in eight years. Manufacturing process chic gather the world's first technology is top secret, onsite is under strict control.
That should be it. Thread of spider is eye as the "dream of fiber" because it has a higher elasticity than strength and nylon above the same weight of steel, researchers around the world have been engaged in a competition to develop over a period of several '10. However no reports of successful mass production that allows the industrial use. Supaiba - has announced that it has developed a May 2013, for the first time in the world mass production technology.
New material "QMONOS" is spider silk elasticity close to the property and lightness the company has developed, combines the difficulty off, take advantage of in industrial applications are expected. And aramid fiber used in bulletproof vests in torn difficulty, and that surpass the carbon fiber used in aircraft fuselage.
Supaiba of was Ultimately the "create a thread of spider in the genetic engineering approach" to approach. Establishing a technique for mass production using genetically modified microorganisms. Mechanism is this.
Yarns nature of spider spit consists of protein. Various upon depending on the type of spider to say that spider silk to bite, one animal of spider also warp and weft, that selectively using multiple types such as thread for towing. Each of the properties is determined by the array of 20 kinds of amino acids. About 3000 square of the combination really 20. The company designed an array of close to the structure of the natural spider silk amino acids, is allowed to culture and fermentation by incorporating a gene that produces it in microorganisms, creating a large amount of the protein of interest. And purified to be spun powder in the raw material, is processed into fibers.
It looks great for that breakthrough production is transmitted from the northeast. It seems available in a variety of applications. It is actually look like.



直径１センチの新繊維で巨大な巣を張れば、離陸中のジャンボ機を無傷で捕獲できる?!こんなＳＦのような話が、現実になろうとしている。強さとしなやかさを併せ持つ天然のクモの糸に限りなく近い繊維の開発に成功し、工業生産に踏み切ろうとしているのがベンチャー企業のスパイバー。
スパイバーが建設中の新工場は雪深い田園地帯にあった。庄内空港から車で約20分。慶応義塾大学が構える先端生命科学研究所に隣接する敷地で今春から、人工のクモ糸繊維の量産に着手する。基礎研究に多くの時間を費やし、創業から８年でこぎ着けた。世界初の技術の粋が集まる製造工程は極秘で、施設内は厳重な管理下にある。
　それもそのはず。クモの糸は同じ重量の鋼鉄を上回る強さとナイロンより高い伸縮性を持つことから「夢の繊維」と目され、数10年にわたって世界中の研究者が開発競争を繰り広げてきた。しかし工業利用を可能にする量産化に成功したとの報告はない。スパイバ－は2013年５月、世界に先駆けて量産技術を開発したと発表した。
　同社が開発した新素材「ＱＭＯＮＯＳ」はクモ糸に近い弾力性や軽さ、切れにくさを兼ね備え、工業用途での活用が期待されている。ちぎれにくさでは防弾チョッキに使われるアラミド繊維や、飛行機の機体に使われる炭素繊維をしのぐという。
　スパイバーが突き詰めたのは「遺伝子工学的アプローチでクモの糸をつくる」手法。遺伝子組み換え微生物を使って大量生産する技術を確立した。メカニズムはこうだ。
　自然界のクモが吐き出す糸は、たんぱく質からなる。一口にクモ糸といってもクモの種類によっても様々なうえ、１匹のクモも縦糸や横糸、けん引用の糸など複数の種類を使い分けるという。それぞれの物性は20種類のアミノ酸の配列で決まる。その組み合わせは実に20の3000乗ほど。同社は天然のクモ糸の構成に近いアミノ酸の配列をデザインし、それを作り出す遺伝子を微生物に組み込んで培養・発酵させ、目的のたんぱく質を大量につくる。精製して粉末状にした原料を紡糸し、繊維状に加工する。
　画期的な生産が東北から発信されるというのは素晴らしいですね。様々な用途で利用できそうですね。実際に見てみたいですね。