The identification of factors linked to the potential acceptance of transgenic biopharmaceuticals: an exploratory study.

In this exploratory study, Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory was used to identify which factors are likely to contribute to the potential acceptance of transgenic biopharmaceuticals (TG-Bs). These products are not yet available to the general public. A scale was designed to assess three of five core attributes related to the potential adoption rate of innovations (Rogers 1995), as well as to measure potential acceptance characteristics for biotechnology products. These attributes were relative advantage, compatibility with existing values, and complexity. In addition, two other characteristics were included: knowledge (Gartrell and Gartrell 1979) and perceived risks (Bauer 1960). The survey was completed by 74 consumers (78% response rate) using convenience sampling. The research findings show that Rogers' three core attributes are supported, but that knowledge andperceived risks were excluded from the model. The model for transgenic biopharmaceuticals consists of: 1. Consumer-related benefits (positively correlated to potential adoption). 2. New types of animals (negatively correlated to potential 3. Perceived complexity (negatively correlated to potential adoption). All the scaled items developed for this study were highly significant, which indicates that they can be used successfully by other researchers working in this field. As TG-Bs are a discontinuous innovation, biotechnology companies may need to present the benefits of these products, as well as the ease of their use prior to their launch, in order to increase their potential acceptance by consumers.

Spider silk fibers spun from soluble recombinant silk produced in mammalian cells.

Spider silks are protein-based "biopolymer" filaments or threads secreted by specialized epithelial cells as concentrated soluble precursors of highly repetitive primary sequences. Spider dragline silk is a flexible, lightweight fiber of extraordinary strength and toughness comparable to that of synthetic high-performance fibers. We sought to "biomimic" the process of spider silk production by expressing in mammalian cells the dragline silk genes (ADF-3/MaSpII and MaSpI) of two spider species. We produced soluble recombinant (rc)-dragline silk proteins with molecular masses of 60 to 140 kilodaltons. We demonstrated the wet spinning of silk monofilaments spun from a concentrated aqueous solution of soluble rc-spider silk protein (ADF-3; 60 kilodaltons) under modest shear and coagulation conditions. The spun fibers were water insoluble with a fine diameter (10 to 40 micrometers) and exhibited toughness and modulus values comparable to those of native dragline silks but with lower tenacity. Dope solutions with rc-silk protein concentrations >20% and postspinning draw were necessary to achieve improved mechanical properties of the spun fibers. Fiber properties correlated with finer fiber diameter and increased birefringence.