African Swine Fever, Stay Away! ... Pohang BioApp Develops World's First CSF Vaccine

Commemorative Ceremony for the World's First Plant-Produced Green Marker Vaccine Launch at Pohang Technopark on the 20th

Pohang City Hall, Gyeongbuk.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Trainee Reporter Lee Seryeong] On the 20th, Pohang City, Gyeongbuk held a domestic market launch ceremony for the world's first plant-produced Classical Swine Fever (CSF) green marker vaccine at Pohang Technopark.

Classical Swine Fever (CSF) is an animal disease designated as a national Category 1 infectious disease by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), with a mortality rate of nearly 100%.

Jeju Island was an OIE-certified CSF-free region but lost its status after the LOM virus spread through contaminated vaccines.

The developed vaccine will be introduced to the Jeju market for the first time domestically, and Jeju Island plans to regain its CSF-free status.

Herb-Vac is a name derived from "Herb," meaning medicinal herb, and "Vac" from vaccine, and it is made from components extracted from the plant tobacco.

BioApp, the company that developed the vaccine, is a company that develops and produces pharmaceuticals and functional materials using plants, researching and developing veterinary medicines such as CSF and African Swine Fever, as well as human medicines like those for COVID-19.

BioApp established a green vaccine pharmaceutical production facility (KvGMP) at Pohang Technopark in 2017 and developed the vaccine. In 2019, it also obtained the first domestic green vaccine product approval from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency.

With support from Pohang City and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, on-site application tests were conducted to verify the vaccine's safety and efficacy.

Developed with domestic core technology, it is made based on recombinant protein, unlike existing vaccines, so there is no risk of spreading the virus and a low possibility of creating mutant viruses.

In October, BioApp signed a tripartite contract with POSCO International and the Canadian biotechnology company PlantForm to export to North and South America, including the United States and Canada.

After going through the approval process in the US and Canada over the next year, exports are expected to begin as early as 2023.

CEO Son Eunju said, "This will greatly help not only the CSF eradication project in Jeju but also exports."

Mayor Lee Kangdeok said, "We plan to foster a high value-added green bio convergence industry such as human-use green vaccines and develop into a global green bio hub," adding, "We will spare no support to be selected for next year's government public project, the Green Bio Venture Campus Venture Startup Incubation Facility Construction Project."

Attendees at the ceremony included Pohang Mayor Lee Kangdeok, Pohang City Council Chairman Jeong Haejong, the City Council Economic and Industrial Committee members, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Free Economic Zone Authority Director Choi Samryong, Gyeongsangbuk-do Bio Life Industry Division Head Kim Juhan, Korean Veterinary Medical Association President Heo Juhyung, POSTECH Professor Hwang Inhwan, Cori Pohang CEO Yoo Geonsang, and BioApp CEO Son Eunju.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.