KBP, Bayer Agreement Strengthens Owensboro as Center for Plant-Based Biotech Manufacturing

DUSSELDORF, Germany and OWENSBORO, Kentucky, USA—Bayer Innovation GmbH (BIG), and Kentucky Bioprocessing, LLC (KBP) today announced an agreement under which they will collaborate to develop a facility to provide production services based on Bayer’s proprietary magnICON® technology at KBP’s Owensboro plant. magnICON®, is a transient protein expression system in tobacco plants, for the commercial scale production of plant made pharmaceutical proteins (PMP) and other high-value products.

Under terms of the agreement, KBP will adapt its existing cGMP compliant facility by installing an automated system for high throughput transfection of tobacco host plants. The agreement makes KBP the preferred and recommended production partner for the application of magnICON®, technology and further grants KBP exclusive production rights in certain applications.

This combination of facilities and expertise will accelerate the commercialization of magnICON®-based products by providing all magnICON® users access to a cGMP compliant protein expression and purification facility for product development and manufacturing.
―Bayer has several internal product development projects – for example a vaccine for the therapy of Non-Hodgkin-Lymphoma or an influenza vaccine - based on our magnICON® platform and we are also in the process of licensing out this technology to several parties. To accelerate these projects, we decided to team up with an experienced external manufacturer, and KBP, with its excellent facilities and highly qualified personnel is the best choice‖, said Dr. Detlef Wollweber, General Manager of Bayer Innovation.