UCT spin-off receives millions in European funding

22 December 2020 | Story Niémah Davids. Photo Adobe Stock. Read time 5 min.
Cape Bio Pharms has received a multimillion-rand capital injection to fast-track the production of affordable plant-based rapid diagnostic COVID-19 test kits.
Cape Bio Pharms has received a multimillion-rand capital injection to fast-track the production of affordable plant-based rapid diagnostic COVID-19 test kits.

Cape Bio Pharms, a biotech company with roots in the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Biopharming Research Unit (BRU), has received a multimillion-rand capital injection to fast-track the production of affordable plant-based rapid diagnostic COVID-19 test kits.  

The approximately R900 million grant comes courtesy of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), a global non-profit organisation “accelerating the development, evaluation and delivery of high-quality, affordable diagnostic tests for poverty-related diseases”.

The funding will allow for the construction of a new facility, Cape Biologix Technologies, a subsidiary of Cape Bio Pharms, which will be built in Mauritius. The facility will scale up innovative plant-based manufacturing and commercialise the successful development of plant-based recombinant proteins.

The official announcement and virtual signing took place on Friday, 18 December 2020.

‘Commitment to the poor’

Speaking during the event, UCTʼs vice-chancellor, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, said that the Western world is not in the habit of looking to Africa for solutions to global problems. But the investment by the EIB and FIND will change that.

“I am very proud to see my country and my continent recognised in this way by the EIB, which is supporting the ability of African-based research, technology and investment to address the critical health needs we all share,” Professor Phakeng said.

 

“This is also a commitment to the poor around the world who will benefit from this innovation.”

“This is also a commitment to the poor around the world who will benefit from this innovation.”

With the BRU having laid a solid foundation by using the Nicotiana benthamiana in their research for over 20 years, the team of scientists at Cape Bio Pharms have drawn from this body of research and have been hard at work using N. benthamiana plants, a close relative of tobacco, as a bioreactor to produce COVID-19 proteins and antibodies. Scientists are working towards developing components of a serology test for the disease, which detects antibodies in a patient’s blood and can be used to determine if they have been exposed or previously infected by the virus. The test kit will be distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa to help fight the pandemic in developing nations.

Essentially, the plant, which is also used because of its strength and ability to grow quickly, is harnessed at a small factory to produce proteins and antibodies that can later be extracted for use in vaccines and diagnostics. Scientists achieve this by “infecting” the plants with an engineered soil bacterium that transfers DNA to the plants and induces them to produce proteins known as antigens from that genetic information.

Unlocking large-scale production

Belinda Shaw, the chief executive of Cape Bio Pharms, said that effective and affordable testing and vaccinations are critical to tackle COVID-19, HIV and other diseases causing “immense health, social and economic harms to human health” in Africa and across the globe.

“Cape Bio Pharms, the holding company of Cape Biologix, has successfully shown how plant protein can quickly and economically produce proteins essential for disease testing and therapy,” Shaw said.

 

“Today … is a milestone for medical research in Africa and global public health.”

She said that the EIB’s and FIND’s support will unlock large-scale production of COVID-19 tests in Africa, as well as large-scale specialist production to combat HIV and a range of other diseases impacting millions of people around the world.

“Today [18 December] is a milestone for medical research in Africa and global public health,” Shaw said.

The funding will enable Cape Biologix to build a new manufacturing facility, expand laboratory processing and build climate-controlled hydroponic grow rooms in Mauritius to provide plant-made proteins for testing and treatment of COVID-19 and other endemic diseases. 

World-class research

According to Ambroise Fayolle, the vice-president of the EIB, scaling up medical innovation and specialist manufacturing is crucial to control COVID-19 and other treatable diseases for which treatment is not accessible for many African countries.

He said that the investment will bring world-class research from laboratories in Africa to improve the lives of millions of people.

“The EIB, as part of team Europe, is pleased to provide support to Cape Biologix to expand pharmaceutical production, create jobs and increase access to affordable disease testing and treatment across Africa and around the world.”


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UCT’s response to COVID-19

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March 2020 and to implement a national lockdown from 26 March 2020. UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.

Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, has in June 2022 repealed some of South Africa’s remaining COVID-19 regulations: namely, sections 16A, 16B and 16C of the Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions under the National Health Act. We are now no longer required to wear masks or limit gatherings. Venue restrictions and checks for travellers coming into South Africa have now also been removed.

In July 2022, the University of Cape Town (UCT) revised its approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic on UCT campuses in 2022.
Read the latest document available on the UCT policies web page.

 

Campus communications

 
2022

Adjusting to our new environment 16:50, 23 June 2022
VC Open Lecture and other updates 17:04, 13 April 2022
Feedback from UCT Council meeting of 12 March 2022 09:45, 18 March 2022
UCT Council
March 2022 graduation celebration 16:45, 8 March 2022
Report on the meeting of UCT Council of 21 February 2022 19:30, 21 February 2022
UCT Council
COVID-19 management 2022 11:55, 14 February 2022
Return to campus arrangements 2022 11:15, 4 February 2022

UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre

On Wednesday, 20 July, staff from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences came together with representatives from the Western Cape Government at the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre at Forest Hill Residence to acknowledge the centre’s significance in the fight against COVID-19 and to thank its staff for their contributions. The centre opened on 1 September 2021 with the aim of providing quality vaccination services to UCT staff, students and the nearby communities, as well as to create an opportunity for medical students from the Faculty of Health Sciences to gain practical public health skills. The vaccination centre ceased operations on Friday, 29 July 2022.

With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.

 

“After almost a year of operation, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, located at the Forest Hill residence complex in Mowbray, will close on Friday, 29 July 2022. I am extremely grateful and proud of all staff, students and everyone involved in this important project.”
– Vice-Chancellor Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng

With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.


Thank You UCT Community

Frequently asked questions

 

Global Citizen Asks: Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe & Effective?

UCT’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) collaborated with Global Citizen, speaking to trusted experts to dispel vaccine misinformation.



If you have further questions about the COVID-19 vaccine check out the FAQ produced by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF). The DTHF has developed a dedicated chat function where you can ask your vaccine-related questions on the bottom right hand corner of the website.

IDM YouTube channel | IDM website
 

 

“As a contact university, we look forward to readjusting our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in 2023 as the COVID-19 regulations have been repealed.”
– Prof Harsha Kathard, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning

We are continuing to monitor the situation and we will be updating the UCT community regularly – as and when there are further updates. If you are concerned or need more information, students can contact the Student Wellness Service on 021 650 5620 or 021 650 1271 (after hours), while staff can contact 021 650 5685.

 

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