Page 214 - Binder2

for over a year, even in hot, humid climates. This makes
rice an ideal platform for:

• Stockpiling vaccines and chronic-care therapies
in low-infrastructure settings
• Long-term oral dosing regimens that require
stable, repeatable supply
• Emergency or outbreak response, where
refrigeration isn’t guaranteed

The implications are enormous:
Instead of fragile biologics that degrade in weeks without a
cold chain, rice enables plant-based biologics that travel
and store like staples.

Integration into Global Food and Ag Systems

Rice is a foundational crop for more than half the world’s
population. From Southeast Asia to Sub-Saharan Africa,
South America to the Middle East, rice is deeply embedded
in local:

• Agricultural expertise
• Infrastructure and supply chains
• Cultural practices and dietary norms

This gives rice-based therapeutics several unique
advantages:

• Local cultivation capacity – Rice-growing regions
already possess the farming knowledge, land, and
labor to scale transgenic seed production.

212