Pharma-Planta
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The
Pharma-Planta Project is a consortium of 39 principal scientists from academic
and industrial institutions in Europe and South Africa. Pharma-Planta is funded
for 5 years, by the European Commission as part of the Sixth Framework
Programme
in the area of "Plant platforms for immunotherapeutic biomolecule
production."
Pharma-Planta
aims to build a plant based production platform for pharmaceuticals in Europe
and to enter the first candidate pharmaceuticals into human clinical trials.
The programme will develop robust risk-assessment and risk-management practices
based on health and environmental impact, and will work with EU regulatory
authorities such as EMEA and EFSA to ensure safety and
acceptance.
Plants
have enormous potential for the production of recombinant pharmaceutical
proteins as they are inexpensive and versatile, amenable to rapid and
economical scale-up. The use of GM for the production of pharmaceuticals has
precedents, such as human insulin and hepatitis B vaccine, but plant derived
materials used in humans have not been formally addressed within the EU. A
major goal will be to address the necessary biosafety and regulatory
requirements for the use of plant derived pharmaceuticals through a process of
engagement and consultation with regulatory bodies involved in GM plants as
well as new medicines. The project addresses pharmaceuticals for the prevention
of HIV, rabies, tuberculosis and diabetes, that remain significant health problems
both in Europe and the developing world.
Pharma-Planta
consortium partners represent many of the
major laboratories in Europe focusing on the creation of
transgenic plants that express important pharmaceuticals for human health.
Collectively, the consortium has a wide range of expertise spanning the areas
of molecular biology, plant biology, immunology, recombinant protein expression
technology, vaccinology, plant biotechnology, risk assessment and IP
management. This project provides a unique opportunity to make an impact on EU
and global health through the responsible development of plant biotechnology.
Link to BBC report on the launch of
the Pharma-Planta project
Link to Guardian article on the launch of the
Pharma-Planta project
Times Higher
Education Supplement article on Pharma-Planta