AntoXa to develop plant-made protein for potential coronavirus therapy

GUELPH, Ontario — Canadian biopharmaceutical company AntoXa Corporation has been awarded a contract extension from the Government of Canada that includes development of plant-made recombinant human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a potential coronavirus treatment.

Under the terms of the amended contract with Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), AntoXa will also continue development of plant-made butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), a protein that protects against toxic nerve agents. DRDC exercised an option to extend the contract to March 31, 2022, increasing the total value of the projects up to $828,712.38 over three years. 

Researchers are interested in ACE2 as it is the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, providing the entry point for the virus to infect cells. ACE2 could be used to target SARS-CoV-2 by blocking the spike protein from attaching to healthy cells, making it a potential candidate for prophylactic use or for use in the very early stages of COVID infection.

“Perhaps the most exciting thing about ACE2 is that it’s variant-agnostic, which means it could be effective against all of the variants of concern in the current pandemic,” said Ashley Meyers, AntoXa’s President and Chief Operating Officer.

For more, see the complete news release on the AntoXa website.


PlantForm signs MOU to bring Classical Swine Fever (CSF) vaccine to global markets

GUELPH, Ont. – Canadian biotech innovator PlantForm Corporation, Bioapp Inc. and POSCO International of South Korea have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in bringing the world’s first plant-based vaccine for Classical Swine Fever (CSF) to global markets.

Although harmless to humans, CSF is a highly contagious viral disease that affects domestic pigs and wild boar populations, causing severe illness and death in millions of swine each year. While Canada, the United States and much of western Europe are currently free of the disease, CSF outbreaks have devastating animal welfare and economic impacts and the disease is endemic to regions of Central and South America, Asia and Africa.

“This is an important milestone for PlantForm as we continue to expand into new markets and explore new opportunities for plant-made pharmaceuticals generally and for our versatile vivoXPRESS® platform,” said Dr. Don Stewart, PlantForm President and CEO. “PlantForm is proud to partner with Bioapp and POSCO for this project to provide an effective, low-cost vaccine to combat CFS and to improve animal health and welfare in the agriculture sector.”

For more, see the PlantForm news release.