Liège-based biotech Bio-Sourcing and South African biotech Afrigen Biologics have signed a partnership agreement to develop a pilot programme in South Africa using BioMilk™, a revolutionary platform for the production of biotherapeutics from goat's milk. Developed by Bio-Sourcing, this cutting-edge technology significantly reduces production costs, making essential drugs against cancer and autoimmune diseases more affordable for the African population.
Bio-Sourcing and Afrigen Biologics plan to create a new joint structure in South Africa for these activities.
BioMilk is a unique, sustainable and profitable platform based on the production of biotherapeutics in goat's milk using genome editing and cell nuclear transfer technologies. This pioneering research harnesses the power of molecular biology and natural bioreactors to open up new prospects for the development and production of biotherapeutics, in particular monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and insulins.
Several public investors have already expressed an interest, and the project remains open to other investors. Afrigen, which has already set up a state-of-the-art platform for the production of mRNA vaccines in Cape Town, and Bio-Sourcing, will set up in South Africa the entire production chain for the latest biological drugs, including the active substance.
At present, biotherapies such as mAbs are imported into South Africa at exorbitant prices, making them inaccessible to most patients. This collaboration will not only strengthen South Africa's pharmaceutical sovereignty, but will also considerably reduce the necessary investment and production costs, making these drugs more accessible.
"We are delighted to be collaborating on this innovative biotherapeutic platform. It further strengthens our commitment to making the latest treatments accessible and affordable, not only for South Africans, but also for other patients on the African continent," says Professor Petro Terblanche, Afrigen's Chief Executive Officer.
"BioMilk is the perfect complement to our state-of-the-art mRNA technology platform.BioMilk is the perfect complement to our state-of-the-art mRNA technology platform. We are entering a new era of product innovation, where the latest therapies will be affordable, offering hope and prospects of a cure to patients facing complex diseases."
"Our collaboration with Afrigen, a recognised and established player in the biopharmaceutical sector, represents an important step in our deployment in the field of human health. The BioMilk technology seems to me to be particularly well suited to the African continent, where its advantages in terms of investment and production costs, as well as sustainability, are more essential than anywhere else. I can't wait to see our first production plant up and running, and to give patients in South Africa and other African countries access to the medicines they need,’ says Bertrand Mérot, CEO and founder of Bio-Sourcing.
