Whatever happened to the spider goats?

[NurseCarmen]

Sometime ago, there was a thread about some goats that had been somehow genetically modified so that instead of goat milk coming from their teets, spiderwebs would.

Since the bizarre tends to appeal to me, and I counted that as firmly entrenched in the world of the bizarre, I decided that I would keep an eye on the adventures of the spider goats, and I would pay attention to any news on the spider goats.

I’ve heard nothing. So I decided to revisit the thread and see if there was any information that would help me find out their fate. I know that they took several “out back with grampa’s shotgun”, but they had bred even more. So I did my new-fangled-yet-old-fangled ability to search and looked for “spider goat”. First, I was impressed that 8 threads shower up for spider goats, but none of them pertained to the spider teeted goats.

Enquiring minds need to know, what happened to the goats? I’m fairly certain that I just saw one swing by my window, and I’m on the 21st floor.

[Nametag]

The goats, of course, produce milk, not spider webs. The milk contains proteins that can be made into spider silk. In 2003, Nexia Biotechnology, the firm that owns the goats, released to foillowing project update:

BioSteel ® Program Update
Regarding the BioSteel ® program…Nexia is continuing to evaluate the nature and scope of clinical data which will be required to support a Pre-Market Approval (PMA) filing with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Nexia’s ongoing BioSteel ® activities include a number of applications-specific material evaluations that may result in partnered development programs.

In addition, the technological challenges experienced with the BioSteel ® program and delays have resulted in a number of changes in the program direction with respect to the capacity requirements for transgenic production of BioSteel ® . The Company will concentrate its farm operations at the St. Telesphore facilities and as a result, the Company has recorded a write-down of $829,000. The Company has decided today to close its facility in Plattsburgh and expects to record a charge of $120,000 in the first quarter of 2004.

[Ross]

@NurseCarmen

I’m fairly certain that I just saw one swing by my window, and I’m on the 21st floor.

I needed that, thank you kindly.

[NurseCarmen]

@Nametag

Nexia is continuing to evaluate the nature and scope of clinical data which will be required to support a Pre-Market Approval (PMA) filing with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

:eek: The FDA!?!? How does spiderweb milk constitute a food and/or drug? I wouldn’t want so confuse [Silk[sup]TM[/sup] soy milk with silk, the spiderweb milk! Thank you Nametag, Nexia is the name I was searching for. Certainly some freaky stuff.

They even have a picture of a [url=http://nexiabiotech.com/en/00_home/index.php]goat](http://www.silkissoy.com/index.php) on their homepage! In a twist that puts it even further into the realm of the wierd, they are working with the Army!! Spidergoat milk somehow protects against Nerve agents! This is totally sci-fi kinda wierd. I like it.

[NurseCarmen]

I wish membership would allow us to edit crappy coding.

[Nametag]

[QUOTE=NurseCarmen]
:eek: The FDA!?!? How does spiderweb milk constitute a food and/or drug? I wouldn’t want so confuse [url=http://www.silkissoy.com/index.php]Silk[sup]TM[/sup] soy milk with silk, the spiderweb milk! Thank you Nametag, Nexia is the name I was searching for. Certainly some freaky stuff. /QUOTE]
The silk would be used in surgical sutures, which require FDA approval.