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Low-cost plant-based production of pharmaceutical proteins for cell and gene therapies

healthPilotedTRL 6

Imagine using plants like a tiny factory to grow expensive medicines instead of using complex lab tanks. By tweaking the genetics of a specific plant, the team can grow high-quality proteins in fields or greenhouses. It's like farming a crop to harvest medicine instead of grain.

By the numbers
25-fold
yield increase
10-fold
cost reduction
The business problem

What needed solving

Pharmaceutical-grade recombinant proteins used in cell therapies are currently a bottleneck due to prohibitively high production costs and insufficient volumes.

The solution

What was built

A scalable biomanufacturing platform using transgenic Camelina Sativa to produce growth factors like Activin A, FGF-2, HSA, and TGF-β.

Audience

Who needs this

Cell therapy manufacturersGene therapy developersCultured meat producersCosmetic ingredient suppliers
Business applications

Who can put this to work

Biopharmaceuticals
enterprise
Target: Cell and gene therapy manufacturer

If you are a therapy manufacturer dealing with high production costs and insufficient volumes of growth factors — this project developed a plant-based platform that offers a 10-fold cost reduction. This allows for the scalable production of Xeno Free cell culture media.

Food Technology
SME
Target: Cultured meat or precision fermentation startup

If you are a food biotech company dealing with the high price of recombinant proteins for cell growth — this project developed a scalable biomanufacturing platform. It enables the production of pharmaceutical-grade proteins at a much lower cost.

Cosmetics
mid-size
Target: High-end skincare manufacturer

If you are a cosmetics brand dealing with limited supply of active recombinant proteins — this project developed a plant-based system that provides a 25-fold yield increase. This ensures a steady, scalable supply of high-quality ingredients.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

How does this impact production costs?

Based on available project data, the platform offers a 10-fold cost reduction compared to existing production methods.

Can this be produced at an industrial scale?

Yes, the project focuses on scaling from prototype to industrial readiness using greenhouse and open field culture of Camelina Sativa to generate sufficient biomass.

What intellectual property protects this technology?

The company utilizes a patented plant-based production platform and proprietary yield-enhancing genetic elements.

What is the regulatory status of the output?

The project aims to obtain GMP qualification for growth factors to allow their use in clinical, commercial, food, and cosmetic fields.

What is the timeline for market leadership?

Core Biogenesis aims to position itself as the European leader in plant-based biomanufacturing by 2025.

Consortium

Who built it

The project is led by a single French SME, Core Biogenesis, with a 100% industry ratio. This lean structure suggests a highly focused commercial drive, moving directly from a patented platform to industrial scale-up without the slower pace of academic partners.

How to reach the team

Contact Core Biogenesis in France regarding their plant-based GF biomanufacturing platform.

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Contact us to explore licensing or partnership opportunities with Core Biogenesis.

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