Approach to enhance human antibody expression in plant cells

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Plant-based production of high-value therapeutic proteins, such as monoclonal antibodies, provides anattractive alternative to protein expression in mammalian cell systems. PlantForm Corporation is an establishedCanadian company that is supporting the lab of Dr. Douglas Muench at the University of Calgary on studiesaimed at delivering an enhanced protein expression technology that can be universally applied to the expressionof any high value protein of interest. One of PlantForm's most advanced products is a breast cancer therapeuticantibody. This grant will support a new collaborative research project that will test the hypothesis that a novelRNA-binding protein coupled to a translational enhancer can specifically elevate the expression of thisantibody in a plant cell system. The Muench lab at the University of Calgary has recently characterized asequence specific, high affinity RNA-binding protein (APUM23) from the model plant Arabidopsis. Whencoupled to a translational enhancer, APUM23 has the potential to significantly increase the synthesis of thistherapeutic antibody. Success with this project will result in substantial revenue generation or cost savings toPlantForm, and will further establish the company as an industry leader in plant expression of therapeuticproteins.