December 13, 2023 - PlantPharm BioMed, Ltd. has been awarded more than $900,000 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) to develop a stable, feed delivered SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) animal vaccine. The edible vaccine will allow animals of multiple species whether wild or domestic to be easily vaccinated, thus breaking the animal-related path of the pandemic chain of COVID-19.
PlantPharm’s edible vaccine will allow wild animals to self-vaccinate via feeding stations, and farmed animals to be easily vaccinated through the addition of an oral solid dose of the pelletized vaccine mixed into their normal feed rations without the need of a needle injection. Additionally, domestic pets including dogs and cats can be easily protected with an edible vaccine-treat preventing possible transmission of pathogens to their human family members.
PlantPharm will produce an ‘Oral Solid Dose’ vaccine using the company’s proprietary production platform for plant-based vaccines using plants as surrogates thus becoming vaccine factories. The company has previously grown Hepatitis B vaccine in plants that were provided orally in a successful human clinical trial, and several other plant-based biopharma products.
PlantPharm BioMed was chosen for this award as its work supports the actions of APHIS toward the world-wide “One Health initiative” - a concept that recognizes that the health of people, animals and the environment are linked. For decades, APHIS has taken a One Health approach in its efforts to eradicate and control diseases in livestock and wildlife. APHIS accounts for the interplay of humans, animals, and the natural world they share.
APHIS is currently conducting multiple projects related to One Health, including those aimed at understanding how the SARS-CoV-2 virus behaves in different animals, how it moves between animals and people, and what we can do to interrupt the chain of transmission. APHIS, PlantPharm BioMed, and the One Health initiative will utilize the findings from these collective studies to help prevent or reduce the impact of future zoonotic disease outbreaks.
PlantPharm BioMed, Ltd. in Delavan, Wisconsin has invested more than 35 years conducting research on the controlled environment growth of plants leading to the company’s proprietary technology and ability to create low-cost and effective plant-grown biopharmaceuticals and vaccines, which can be provided in an oral solid dose form rather than via hypodermic needle.
