Tuesday, April 07, 2020 6:09:35 AM
https://rybicki.blog/2020/04/04/plant-made-vaccines-and-reagents-for-sars-cov-2-in-south-africa/
Our group in the BRU, our recent spinout partners* Cape Bio Pharms, and a group at the SA Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are the three premier molecular farming research and development teams in South Africa. We have jointly made a host of candidate vaccines, virus-derived reagents for use in molecular biology labs and in diagnostics, and mAbs for use as reagents and potentially as therapeutics. Presently, Cape Bio Pharms and possibly the CSIR represent the only pilot-scale manufacturing facilities in South Africa for plant-made biologics, despite initiatives over years involving us and the CSIR and various government departments. A symposium in Franschhoek in the Western Cape Province in November 2017, hosted by the BRU and by iBio Inc of Bryan Texas, pitched a plan to assembled invited delegates for public/private partnership to construct a facility in this country to make pharmaceutical products using molecular farming technology. In announcing it, we said the following
To the best of my knowledge, nothing along the lines of a survey has happened to date. Since then, and in the absence of any apparent interest from what were DST, DTI, IDC, TIA and others, iBio has gone on in 2019 to announce a partnership with Azargen in the area of rituximab biosimilar production, and as of a few days ago, as a contract manufacturing organisation, is offering their services in making COVID/SARS2 reagents at industrial scale in plants. Cape Bio Pharms has also established itself as a reagent manufacturer independently of any outside associations, with only local investment and a THRIP grant from Dept of Trade and Industry (DTI). I note that a previous proposal from some years ago involving the CSIR and Kentucky BioProcessing for establishment of an even cheaper pilot facility, also fell flat. For comparison, I will point out that the cost of just the revamping of Onderstepoort Biological Products’ (OBP, SA’s premier veterinary vaccine manufacturer) facility to be able to achieve cGMP certification is estimated to be ~R500 million.
About iBio Inc
iBio is a global leader in plant-based biologics manufacturing. Its FastPharming System™ https://www.ibioinc.com/technology/fastpharming combines vertical farming, automated hydroponics, and glycan engineering technologies to rapidly deliver gram quantities of high-quality monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, bioinks and other proteins. The Company’s subsidiary, iBio CDMO LLC, provides FastPharming Contract Development and Manufacturing Services via its 130,000 square foot facility in Bryan, Texas.
Originally built in 2010 with funding from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), iBio’s FastPharming Facility was part of the “Blue Angel” initiative to establish factories capable of rapid delivery of medical countermeasures in response to a disease pandemic. iBio’s FastGlycaneering Development Service™ https://www.ibioinc.com/technology/glycan-engineering includes an array of new glycosylation technologies for engineering high-performance recombinant proteins. Additionally, iBio is developing proprietary products which include IBIO-100 for the treatment of fibrotic diseases and IBIO-200, a COVID-19 vaccine. For more information, visit https://www.ibioinc.com/.
iBio Inc COVID-19 Vaccine Program
Immunization studies for its SARS-CoV-2 Virus-Like Particle (“VLP”) program (“IBIO-200”) are proceeding at Texas A&M University System (“TAMUS”) laboratories. The work is being performed as part of the Master Joint Development Agreement established between iBio and TAMUS in 2016. Tom Isett, Co-Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of iBio, said:
iBio created its proprietary VLP candidates in just a few weeks using its FastPharming System™. iBio’s researchers then deployed this plant-based expression platform’s rapid production capabilities to deliver VLPs suitable for further development just weeks after the biologics were designed. Dr. James Samuel, Head of the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology at Texas A&M University, said:
Cash Rich
iBio Inc has a deal with Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC, for the purchase of up to $50M of its common stock over a three-year period subject to conditions. This will give the company plenty of cash to fund operations over the next three years. Cash is the biggest concern for small biotechs and that’s no longer a concern for iBio Inc.
Bottom Line
Coronavirus is here to stay until a vaccine is commercialized. iBio Inc is at the forefront of a vaccine and one of the best plays for investors on a pandemic the modern world has never seen before. If iBio Inc succeeds, it will solve a major humanitarian crisis and shareholders will have banked big profits. Good luck to all! - Source - https://insiderfinancial.com/ibio-inc-nysemktibio-new-highs-coming/179771/
#COVID19 #coronavirus #vaccine #IBIO $IBIO IBIO
Contact:
Stephen Kilmer
Investor Relations
(646) 274-3580
skilmer@ibioinc.com
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