Spider silk can withstand a tensile stress of up to 1.5 gigapascals, which corresponds to a force of about 150 Newtons per square millimeter of the fiber's cross-sectional area. Due to its high strength, elasticity, low weight, and biodegradability, this material has broad potential applications in the textile industry and medicine; however, its mass production has not yet been successfully organized.
Researchers are trying to replicate the natural formation process of spider silk in laboratory conditions, where the main challenge is turning the liquid protein solution produced in the spider's specialized glands into a strong fiber. Spiders produce several types of it, and since breeding arthropods on an industrial scale is nearly impossible due to their cannibalistic tendencies, scientists are forced to seek alternative ways to artificially create a similar material.
Experts from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte have clarified that scientists are already succeeding in obtaining protein solutions similar to those produced by spiders, but turning them into strong threads in sufficient quantities for mass application is not yet possible. In nature, a spider passes this liquid through a narrow duct where chemical conditions change, and the protein molecules combine into dense beta-sheets, extruding an already formed solid fiber.
Some successes have been achieved at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, where researchers have learned to produce protein in large quantities and with higher efficiency. Anna Rising and Benjamin Schmuck are working on creating fibers and yarn from artificially produced protein, and in early 2026, their project received a 200,000 euro grant from a foundation.
Research toward obtaining artificial spider silk has long gone beyond purely theoretical science. If scientists manage to solve the technical problems of fiber formation on an industrial scale, it will revolutionize several fields, from light industry to medicine.
In this context, the financial support of foundations is particularly important, allowing laboratory successes to be translated into practical application. There is still a long way ahead, as the stable, mass conversion of protein solutions into a solid material requires additional technological solutions.
