ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB) (“the Company”, “Kraig Labs”, or “Kraig’s”), a world leader in spider silk technology*, today announced that the Company’s CEO and Founder, Kim Thompson, published a thought leadership scientific opinion editorial in Biocompare, a leading publication serving the life sciences and biotechnology research community. The article, titled “Beyond Therapeutics: The Next Chapter of Synthetic Biology Is Manufacturing,” introduces a framework Thompson calls “authored biology” and draws on Kraig Labs’ experience commercializing recombinant spider silk to chart what he sees as the next great opportunity in synthetic biology.
In the piece, Thompson describes a second transformation now taking shape alongside the well-known advances in gene therapy, CRISPR, and precision medicine, one centered on materials, chemicals, and manufacturing rather than treatment.
“Mention genetic engineering today, and most people immediately think of gene therapies, CRISPR, precision medicine, or the next breakthrough drug,” Thompson writes. “But another transformation is quietly taking shape.”
Thompson draws from Kraig Labs’ own history as a case study for the broader industry. He writes that producing a protein in a laboratory and manufacturing a finished material at commercial scale are fundamentally different challenges, a lesson he says defines the road every biology-enabled material must travel.
“Producing spider silk proteins is only part of the challenge,” Thompson writes. “Transforming those proteins into continuous fibers that can be spun into yarn and woven into fabric is an entirely different manufacturing process. It’s the difference between producing a raw material and creating a finished product.”
At the center of the article is the concept of “authored biology,” a term Thompson uses to describe an approach distinct from traditional synthetic biology. Rather than building biological systems entirely from scratch, Thompson argues that some of the greatest opportunities lie in enhancing natural systems that have already been refined over centuries, an approach that reflects Kraig Labs’ own strategy of engineering silkworms rather than replacing them.
“Innovation does not always require replacing natural systems,” Thompson writes. “In many cases, the greatest opportunity lies in combining advances in genetic engineering with biological platforms that have already proven themselves over centuries or even millennia.”
Thompson closes the article by arguing that the industry’s next era of leadership will be defined not by discovery alone, but by the discipline required to scale it.
“The next chapter of synthetic biology won’t be defined by what can be engineered in the laboratory,” Thompson writes. “It will be defined by what can be manufactured consistently, economically, and at scale. That transition, from scientific possibility to commercial reality, may ultimately prove to be the field’s greatest achievement.”
Kraig Labs believes Thompson’s perspective reflects lessons earned directly through the Company’s multi-year effort to scale recombinant spider silk from laboratory quantities to commercial production. The Company views this kind of thought leadership as an important complement to its operational progress, reinforcing Kraig Labs’ position at the forefront of both the science and the strategic thinking shaping the future of biology-enabled manufacturing.
The full article is available on Biocompare’s website.
The Company’s leadership in biomaterials was recently spotlighted on the cover of the March 2026 issue of National Geographic, highlighting the growing importance and predominance of our work in scaling spider silk production.
Interested persons can order a copy of National Geographic featuring Kraig Labs at https://ngsingleissues.nationalgeographic.com/natgeo-march-2026.
You can purchase a digital copy of the article directly from National Geographic at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/spider-silk-silkworm-genetic-engineering.
For the latest updates on Kraig Labs and its pioneering spider silk technologies, visit www.kraiglabs.com.
For details about recent Kraig Labs advancements, please watch the Company’s investor updates at www.kraiglabs.com/videos or on the Company’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@kraigbiocraftlaboratories2270.
To view the most recent news from Kraig Labs and/or to sign up for Company alerts, please go to www.KraigLabs.com/news.
* For a description of our historical leadership in this technology, please follow this link https://www.kraiglabs.com/world-leader/.
Kraig Labs Technology is built on a scientifically engineered silkworm, which incorporates key spider silk proteins to produce recombinant spider silk.
About Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc.
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (www.KraigLabs.com), a reporting biotechnology company is the leading developer of genetically engineered spider silk-based fiber technologies.
The Company has achieved a series of scientific breakthroughs in the area of spider silk technology with implications for the global textile industry.
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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,” “estimated,” “hopes,” “if,” “develops,” “researching,” “research,” “pilot,” “potential,” “could” or other words or phrases of similar import. Forward-looking statements include descriptions of the Company’s business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions and goals. 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. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security.
Ben Hansel, Hansel Capital, Inc.
(720) 288-8495
