Owensboro’s Kentucky BioProcessing (KBP) is taking its potential coronavirus vaccine to the next level. Recently, the company announced that with its implementation of fast-growing tobacco plant technology, animal testing has now begun with the vaccine candidate.
If testing goes well, between one and three million doses of the vaccine could be manufactured per week, starting in June.
According to London-based British American Tobacco (BAT), the method being used by KBP has several advantages over conventional vaccine production. KBP’s potential vaccine is safer because tobacco plants can’t host pathogens, which can cause human disease.
“While it is challenging to respond to a global pandemic quickly when the global community has limited information about its transmission and treatment, it is also very rewarding to utilize our technology to potentially make a difference on such an important, pressing issue,” Barry Bratcher, chief operating officer at KBP said.
Bratcher described Owensboro, where he resides, as a city with a lot to offer, both culturally and economically.