iBio antibody shows promise

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Newark-based IBIO announced that its iBioLaunch plant-based technology for the production of a copy of palivizumab, an antibody that fights a condition that strikes infants.

Palivizumab is used to cut hospitalizations, but its high cost limits treatment to high-risk infants who receive monthly intramuscular injections. Worldwide annual sales of palivizumab run in excess of $900 million.

Scientists at iBio’s research and development partner, Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular

Biotechnology, produced the antibody heavy and light chains in green tissues of plants.

The production of functional palivizumab in plants extends the number of antibodies that have been produced using the iBioLaunch system that employs robotics and other manufacturing methods to grow plants and extract antibodies.

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The plant-based biotechnology has the potential to cut the costs and speed up production of vaccines that need to be developed more rapidly to fight diseases.

Further information is available at: www.ibioinc.com.

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