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● Sterile fill-finish: The purified protein is filtered,
transferred into sterile vials or syringes, labeled,
packaged, and stored—typically under cold-chain
conditions.
The result? A cost of goods that can easily reach hundreds
to thousands of dollars per gram, even before accounting
for distribution, administration, or regulatory overhead.
This complexity has become accepted—not because it’s
efficient, but because it’s necessary in a system built around
injectable, purified proteins made in mammalian cells.
Compare That to the Grow Room
Now enter the plant-based model.
Instead of a 15,000-liter bioreactor, imagine a 15,000-
square-foot grow room. The therapeutic gene isn’t inserted
into animal cells—it’s engineered into a fast-growing plant
like lettuce, rice, or duckweed. These plants act as living
bioreactors, using photosynthesis to convert sunlight,
water, and nutrients into high-value proteins.
● After several days or weeks of growth, the leaves
are harvested—just like any agricultural crop.
● The plant material is freeze-dried, locking in the
protein and stabilizing it for storage.
● It is then milled into a fine powder and encapsulated
into oral capsules.
That’s it.
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