PlantForm Corporation

04/23/2024

We'll be at the International Society for Plant Molecular Farming (ISPMF) Conference in Cape Town, South Africa May 6-8!

David Cayea, our Chief Operating Officer, will engage in strategic meetings at the conference to advance R&D collaborations using PlantForm Corporation's vivoXPRESS platform for sustainable, plant-based biopharmaceutical manufacturing. 🌿

Thank you to Innovation Trade Commissioner Service - Global Affairs Canada for supporting our work to forge new partnerships that bring Canadian biotech innovation to the world!

01/18/2024

Exciting news! PlantForm Corporation and 3DBiofibr have been awarded $1.3M in NGen funding to advance recombinant human collagen fiber manufacturing technology.

The project aims to develop world’s first scalable dry spinning of recombinant human collagen for use in a broad range of sectors including regenerative medicine.

Read more here:

Project leverages partners’ strengths to develop world’s first scalable dry spinning of recombinant human collagen for use in a broad range of sectors including regenerative medicine

12/06/2023

New article in BioProcess International about our work to leverage plant-based protein-expression systems for biodefense applications!

Read the article to learn about:
- ricin as a biosecurity threat
- the utility of mAb-based bioterrorism countermeasures
- the role that plants play in developing such therapeutics
- how plant-based systems enable flexible, high-yield, and low-cost manufacturing of proteins with the requisite glycosylation profiles
- how drug developers have overcome many of the technical and regulatory concerns that hampered initial research into plant-system protein expression
- the need for investment in manufacturing infrastructure, specifically large-scale biomanufacturing capacity.

Plant-based protein expression research is active in therapeutics development for bioterrorism mitigation and biodefense applications.

08/29/2023

PlantForm has 2 immediate job openings!
1️⃣ Biotechnology Technician (Guelph or Bolton, ON).
2️⃣ Research Associate 1 (Bolton, ON).

See the full job descriptions here: https://www.plantformcorp.com/careers.aspx

03/28/2023

Signing ceremony in Brazil to mark PlantForm Corporation and Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz's agreement to co-develop a biosimilar pembrolizumab for lung cancer using PlantForm's plant-based vivoXPRESS manufacturing system.

03/20/2023

Press Release: PlantForm and UBC researcher receive GlycoNet funds to develop novel treatment for Type-2 diabetes

GUELPH, Ont., CANADA, March 20, 2023 — PlantForm Corporation has teamed up with a University of British Columbia research group led by Dr. Joerg Bohlmann to develop a novel plant-based treatment option for Type-2 diabetes and obesity, with support from GlycoNet (Canadian Glycomics Network).

03/07/2023

We're pleased to announce that PlantForm Corporation and Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz have signed a new agreement to develop a pembrolizumab cancer drug and up to 5 future products for the Brazilian and other world markets.

Pembrolizumab is widely used alone or in combination with other drugs to treat a variety of cancers including certain types of breast cancer, skin cancer (including melanoma), non-small cell lung cancer and more than a dozen other types.

Read the full press release:

GUELPH, Ont., CANADA, March 7, 2023 — Canadian biopharmaceutical innovator PlantForm Corporation and Bio-Manguinhos / Fiocruz (Health Ministry of Brazil) have signed a collaborative research and development agreement to develop a biosimilar pembrolizumab and up to five future products for the Braz...

02/27/2023

PRESS RELEASE: U.S. Patent Granted for Made-in-Canada Ricin Antibody Technology

The U.S. Patent Office has granted a patent for a plant-based manufacturing process to produce an antibody for treatment of ricin exposure, an outcome of research and development by AntoXa Corporation under contract with Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), an Agency of the Canadian Department of National Defence.

AntoXa, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PlantForm Corporation, has an exclusive license from DRDC to develop and produce the PhD9 monoclonal antibody treatment in plants for sale in markets worldwide.

Read the full press release:

GUELPH, Ont., CANADA, Feb. 27, 2023 — The U.S. Patent Office has granted a patent for a plant-based manufacturing process to produce an antibody for treatment of ricin exposure, an outcome of research and development by AntoXa Corporation under contract with Defence Research & Development Canada (...

12/21/2022

Good news for Ontario: the provincial government is introducing a new policy that requires less expensive versions of biologic drugs to be offered to patients.

Under the new policy, there will be a nine-month transition period that is set to start March 31.

The mandatory switching policy - already adopted in B.C. and Alberta - will save money and better ensure the long-term sustainability of the province’s drug plan, according to a government official

11/17/2022

PlantForm Corporation has received a U.S. patent for our line of fast-growing transgenic plants!

GUELPH, Ont., November 17, 2022 —PlantForm Corporation announced today that the U.S. Patent Office has granted a patent for the Company’s bespoke line of Nicotiana benthamiana plants used to produce monoclonal antibodies, therapeutic proteins and vaccines.

11/01/2022

Our thanks to the Grand River Agricultural Society for supporting our travel to 2022 to discuss regional and global partnering opportunities for PlantForm’s animal health programs.

PlantForm's animal health solutions include the world’s first plant-based vaccine for Classical Swine Fever and an edible antibody that prevents E.coli infection in pigs.

06/20/2022

Read about PlantForm's research collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to prevent E. coli infection in pigs:

F***l contamination of hog carcasses is a serious risk factor for foodborne illness from pork. Researchers recently isolated an E. coli antibody that could be fed to pigs to prevent the spread of infection.

06/13/2022

PlantForm is proud to be advancing biologics innovation with CDMO services using our cost-effective, plant-based vivoXPRESS manufacturing platform.

Learn more: https://plantformcorp.com/cdmo-services.aspx

02/25/2022

An important milestone for plant-made pharmaceuticals - Medicago has received Health Canada approval for its COVID-19 vaccine, the first COVID-19 vaccine to be developed in Canada *and* the first to be manufactured in plants

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/02/24/first-canadian-vaccine-approved-for-covid.html?fbclid=IwAR0xxCkwi2GPaNGCeP8XZbIMadTVAWCsHAlZk4KPeTn47aksDZKpDmrUphQ

Covifenz, by Quebec-based Medicago, uses plant-derived virus particles that mimic the coronavirus’s spike protein.

02/22/2022

Our latest press release: PlantForm and scientists at Aix-Marseille University and The National Centre for Scientific Research in France have announced a material transfer agreement that will provide biosimilar ranibizumab for research aimed at developing a better drug delivery system for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

https://www.plantformcorp.com/news-detail.aspx?id=8c57bf3b-68a3-4140-b20a-2de51c7f4160 #.YhT1su7MIyl

GUELPH, Ont., CANADA, Feb. 22, 2022 — Canadian biopharmaceutical company PlantForm Corporation and scientists at Aix-Marseille University and The National Centre for Scientific Research in France have announced a material transfer agreement that will provide biosimilar ranibizumab for research aim...

10/26/2021

PlantForm Corporation and POSCO International, South Korea’s largest trading company, have signed a Commercialization Agreement to bring HERBAVAC™, the world’s first plant-based vaccine for Classical Swine Fever (CSF), to global markets.

Read the news release:
https://www.plantformcorp.com/news-detail.aspx?id=646de7a4-85b5-4789-b86e-16224aa697eb #.YXhKH2ZKg1h

08/18/2021

Employment Opportunity: PlantForm has an immediate opening for a Research Assistant. Learn more and apply here:
https://plantformcorp.com/careers.aspx

08/17/2021

PlantForm subsidiary AntoXa Corporation has announced a contract extension with federal government to develop a plant-made protein for potential coronavirus therapy.

http://antoxacorp.com/antoxa-corporation-awarded-contract-extension-with-federal-government-to-develop-plant-made-protein-for-potential-coronavirus-therapy/

AntoXa Corporation awarded contract extension with federal government to develop plant-made protein for potential coronavirus therapy August 17, 2021 By antoxa DRDC-funded project aims to develop recombinant human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a potential drug candidate for COVID-19 GUEL...

07/28/2021

A new American Society for Microbiology Journal of Virology publication—a collaboration between PlantForm Corporation and the Andrés Finzi lab at Centre de recherche du CHUM)—shows how manipulation of the glycan composition on a monoclonal antibody using the vivoXPRESS® platform can modify the biological activity of the antibody to enhance its therapeutic potential.

https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/JVI.00796-21

07/26/2021

New U.S. legislation promotes education on to encourage rapid uptake.

Most biosimilars (follow-on biologic products) still only have shares below 50% in the U.S., which is far different than market shares in Europe. One major reason is a mistrust around biosimilars’ safety and efficacy. Congress has stepped in to address that issue through the Advancing Educa...

06/08/2021

PlantForm CEO Dr. Don Stewart discusses the future for biosimilars in 2 sessions at BIO KOREA tomorrow (June 9): Biosimilars in the COVID-19 Era and International Opportunities for Biosimilars

https://www.biokorea.org/program/conference_01.asp

05/11/2021

News Release: PlantForm, Bioapp and POSCO International sign MOU to bring Classical Swine Fever vaccine to global markets

https://bit.ly/3xXsboB

04/06/2021

Press Release: PlantForm signs agreement with Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz to develop a biosimilar pembrolizumab cancer drug.

"This agreement advances PlantForm's collaborations in Brazil to make affordable, effective cancer drugs available to millions of Brazilians," said Don Stewart, PlantForm's President and CEO. "It also advances PlantForm's global strategy for biosimilar drug development and manufacturing to increase affordability and access to a wide range of life-saving medications."

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/plantform-signs-agreement-with-bio-manguinhos-fiocruz-to-develop-a-biosimilar-pembrolizumab-cancer-drug-857594547.html

/CNW/ - PlantForm Corporation, PlantPraxis Biotecnologia and Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz (Health Ministry of Brazil) today announced a collaborative research and...

03/15/2021

Press release: PlantForm applies for Health Canada approval to bring Viologix rapid COVID-19 antigen test to Canada

GUELPH, Ont., March 15, 2021 – PlantForm Corporation, a pioneering leader in plant-based antibody drug manufacturing technology, today announced the submission of the Viologix COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test Kit to Health Canada for approval and use in Canada.