Delavan-based PlantPharm BioMed, a biotechnology company manufacturing edible vaccines that can be used to treat several types of viruses in both humans and animals, has been awarded a $900,000 federal grant to develop an edible COVID-19 vaccine for animals.
The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS). PlantPharm BioMed hopes its vaccine will be able to immunize multiple species of animals, both wild and domestic, and break the “animal-related path of the pandemic chain of COVID-19,” according to a Wednesday announcement.
PlantPharm transforms specific plants into “vaccine factories” by introducing antigens into the plant cells. Those plants are then multiplied and grown to maturity in controlled-atmosphere conditions. PlantPharm has a certified laboratory in Delavan where scientists grow batches of the injected plants. The vaccines are scalable into millions of shelf-stable, edible doses. The company was featured in BizTimes Milwaukee in 2022 for its innovations.
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