iBio, Inc. has agreed to license its iBioLaunch technology platform and provide technology transfer services to G-Con, LLC for the development and manufacture of plant-expressed influenza vaccines at a new facility in Bryan, TX. The “GreenVax Project” will show proof of concept for a large-scale vaccine production facility using Nicotiana plants grown hydroponically in a contained environment. According to iBio, its green plant technology platform has the potential to shorten vaccine production from months to weeks, allowing rapid response to newly emerging viruses not possible with conventional vaccine technology. Although the project’s initial goal is to produce candidate H1N1 vaccines, iBio’s technology is adaptable to other flu strains, infectious diseases, and cancer.
“The flexibility of the plant-based system, combined with its low cost and ability to massively scale, may provide vaccine protection not only to citizens of the U.S., but also to many parts of the world that cannot currently afford vaccines,” said Dr. Barry Holtz, president of G-Con.
“We expect vaccines against influenza, including seasonal influenza, to be among the earliest applications of the iBioLaunch technology,” said Robert Kay, chairman and chief executive officer of iBio. “In the new GreenVax facility, G-Con’s modular production technology should significantly enhance the economy, speed and flexibility advantages of our system for application to a broad range of biologic products.” 
