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.
Dr. Matner presenting at the One Health Symposium - April 2024
April 15, 2024 - Dr. Richard Matner, President of PlantPharm BioMed, Ltd. will be presenting at the International Symposium on One Health Research: Improving Food Security and Resilience, in Galveston, Texas April 21–23, 2024. Dr. Matner will present PlantPharm BioMed’s scientific research poster ‘Plant-based, Feed-delivered SARS-CoV-2 Animal Vaccine’, and discuss the work that PlantPharm BioMed is doing to develop a feed-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for animals. The symposium will draw leaders from industries such as agriculture, public health, veterinary health, and food safety, to engage in discussions about research addressing complex issues affecting animal transmission of pathogens to humans.
PlantPharm BioMed has been working to develop an edible vaccine to address zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between animals and humans. The edible vaccine will help break the animal-related path of the pandemic chain of COVID-19 by vaccinating animals of multiple species whether wild or domestic, with oral, solid dose pellets mixed into feed stations.
The project is funded through a collaborative agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). PlantPharm BioMed was chosen for this award as it 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.
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 has invested more than 30 years conducting research on the controlled environment growth of gene-edited plants leading to the Company’s proprietary technology and ability to create low-cost and effective plant-grown biopharmaceuticals and solid dose, oral vaccines. The Company’s technology has been demonstrated in a successful FDA-approved human clinical trial of an orally administered plant-based Hepatitis B vaccine grown in plants.
PlantPharm BioMed will be seeking funding to support their continued research and development in both animal and human plant-based vaccine technology.