Fully automated molecular farming

Molecular farming is designed to target the information needed for specific protein production which is introduced into plant-life through certain virus vectors.

Vidadi Yusibov, from the Fraunhofer Center for Biotechnology (CMB), said: “We use tobacco plants because they multiply and maintain our virus vectors very well. In addition, they grow fast yielding, large quantities of biomass in a short period of time.”

The researchers have already begun a scaled-up version of the technique; developing a fully integrated, automated Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) facility which is fundamental in the production of biopharmaceuticals.

The plants produce the necessary proteins and are harvested and homogenised in a fully automated process

The team has been offered a contract from the U.S government’s Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to produce vaccination alternatives.

“Now we have plants that consistently grow and make proteins to the same predictable quality,” stated Andre Sharon from Fraunhofer CMI.

The vaccine plants are grown in trays with hydroponic cultures of mineral wool as opposed to soil, and specially developed robots transport the plants from station to station - inserting seeds, harvesting and extracting them.

Prior to the introduction of the virus vectors, the plants grow for four week in a process that submerges the tobacco plants in water which holds the vector, effectively telling it which protein to produce.

“Then a vacuum is applied by drawing the air from the water and the plants. As soon as we switch off the vacuum, the plants suck in the water together with the vector. This takes just a few seconds,” explained Sharon.

After a further course of growth, the plants produce the necessary proteins and are harvested and homogenised in a fully automated process.

The Fraunhofer pilot facility is capable of producing up to 300 kilograms of biomass a month, which corresponds to around 2.5 million units of vaccine.