Page 288 - Binder2

5.2 – Biomanufacturing Without Bioreactors

For more than four decades, the production of biologic
drugs has followed a familiar script. Inside stainless steel
tanks, genetically engineered cells—usually Chinese
Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells—are coaxed into producing
proteins like antibodies, enzymes, or cytokines. These cells
float in nutrient-rich media, stirred, oxygenated, and
monitored for days. When the run is done, the protein is
extracted, purified, concentrated, sterilized, and finally—
packaged into a vial to be injected into a patient’s body.

This model works. It has enabled some of the most
powerful medicines ever developed. But it also comes with
immense costs—economic, environmental, and logistical.

Edible biologics flip that model on its head. They eliminate
the need for cell culture tanks, climate-controlled
cleanrooms, cold-chain distribution, and clinical
administration. Instead, they offer a radically simplified,
decentralized, and cost-efficient approach: grow the protein
in a plant, preserve the tissue, and swallow the drug.

It sounds like science fiction. It’s not. It’s a
biomanufacturing revolution—one that operates without
bioreactors.

No Stainless Steel, No Cell Lines, No Problem

Traditional biologic facilities are architectural feats—multi-
story cleanroom complexes with intricate plumbing,
pressure regulation, and biosafety protocols. A new plant

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