Is This the Manufacturing Technology Solution to Address the Imminent Biologics Demand and Supply Gap?
By K.V. Anantharaman, Research Analyst, Biotechnology, North America Introduction The concept of genetic re-engineering is three decades old. The emerging manifestation of recombinant DNA technology is plant-based pharmaceutical production also known as “biopharming”. This technique allows for plants such as corn, tobacco, rice and others to generate proteins that have pharmaceutical and industrial applications and in the process save costs too. The manufacturing resources required for biopharming are negligible when compared with the complex and labor-intense mammalian cell culture methods. The energy for this process is derived from the sun, and its primary raw materials are water, carbon dioxide, and soil nutrients. The upgradation of the manufacturing to double the acreage of a crop requires far less capital than doubling the capacity of a factory. The other major drivers for plant plant-based pharmaceutical production are the anticipated shortfall in the traditional biologics manu
