PlantForm and Smart Biotech to evaluate plant-based production of antigens for avian influenza diagnostic testing

TORONTO, Canada, and JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, March 26, 2025 – Canadian biopharmaceutical company PlantForm Corporation and South Africa-based Smart Biotech have announced a research project to evaluate plant-based production of avian influenza antigens for use in a diagnostic test kit being developed for commercial bird operations.

The project will tap PlantForm’s proprietary expertise in the expression and production of proteins in Nicotiana sp. plants using the vivoXPRESS® platform. PlantForm will evaluate the expression of two proteins — avian influenza H5 and H7 antigens.

“The emergence of highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza is becoming a serious global health issue that not only affects animal health and may pose a risk to humans, but has devastating economic consequences that threaten livelihoods and food security,” said Dr. Don Stewart, President and CEO of PlantForm.

“Our goal with this project is to demonstrate that we can express, extract and purify H5 and H7 antigens at a scale that allows Smart Biotech to continue development of a diagnostic test for strains of avian influenza that are of concern in South Africa.”

South Africa culled millions of birds in response to outbreaks of H5 and H7 avian influenza in 2023, costing the poultry sector over USD$500 million and driving up the cost of poultry and eggs that are the main sources of affordable protein for millions of people. Vaccines for poultry are available but prohibited in many countries because vaccination complicates detection of the virus.

“Currently available diagnostic tests cannot distinguish between a healthy vaccinated bird and an infected one,” said Dr. Sibongile Gumbi, founder and CEO of Smart Biotech. “Therefore, it is critically important to detect infection quickly so that healthy flocks can be segregated and only infected birds will be culled. With PlantForm’s help, we aim to provide the industry with a single diagnostic test that has the sensitivity and specificity to detect infection and identify the virus strain. This may pave the way for development of more functional, cost-effective vaccines down the road.”

About Smart Biotech (smartbiotech.co.za)

Smart Biotech is a biopharmaceutical company involved in the manufacture of antigens and monoclonal antibodies used in vaccines and diagnostics. The company has exclusive rights to novel proprietary technology, technical knowledge and intellectual property relating to protein production using plant-based expression systems. The avian influenza project is supported by a grant from the Technology Innovation Agency, an initiative of the national Department of Science & Innovation.

About PlantForm Corporation (plantformcorp.com)

PlantForm Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the low-cost production of high-value antibody and protein drugs and vaccines using the proprietary vivoXPRESS® plant-based manufacturing platform. The vivoXPRESS® plant expression system produces biologic drugs at a significantly reduced cost compared to standard mammalian cell systems. The platform is fast (drug production in as little as six weeks), versatile and easily scalable. PlantForm’s pipeline features an innovative antidote to ricin exposure, and biosimilar versions of the brand name biologic drugs Lucentis® and Keytruda®.