Bayer to make bios in tobacco plants

Germany's Bayer Innovation GmbH and the USA's Kentucky Bioprocessing are collaborating to develop a facility at the latter's Owensboro plant for the production service of biopharmaceuticals. Based on Bayer's proprietary magnICON technology, plant-made pharmaceutical proteins and other high-value products will be manufactured in tobacco plants on a commercial scale.

Under terms of the agreement, KBP will adapt its existing current Good Manufacturing Practice compliant plant by installing an automated system for high throughput transfection of tobacco host plants. Bayer has internal product development projects, eg, a vaccine for non-Hodgkin lymphoma - based on the magnICON platform. Beyond that the German drugmaker is also in the process of licensing out this technology to several parties.