Plant-based vaccines provide distinct advantages over traditional production methods, including ease of genetic engineering, high-yield production, and capability for rapid, scalable manufacturing. By employing plants as biofactories, new vaccines can be developed more quickly and cost-effectively to meet global health needs.

Plant-based vaccines utilize crop plants like tobacco, duckweed, algae or safflower to act as production platforms for antigen proteins that can trigger an immune response when administered. As plants do not harbor human pathogens, they provide a safe, low-cost means to mass-produce complex viral proteins for vaccine applications. Recombinant techniques allow for multivalent, thermostable vaccines to be designed within plant tissues for infectious diseases like influenza, hepatitis B, enterovirus 71 or SARS-CoV-2. The non-invasive nature of plant-made pharmaceuticals also overcomes issues with hypodermic needles, enabling novel oral or intranasal delivery methods.

The Global plant-based vaccines Market is estimated to be valued at US$ 113.12 Bn in 2024 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 9.6% over the forecast period 2024 to 2031.

Key Takeaways

- Key players operating in the plant-based vaccines market are Medicago, Inc., IBIO, Inc., Icon Genetics GmbH, Lumen Bioscience, Inc., British American Tobacco Plc., Creative Biolabs, Inc., Leaf Expression Systems Ltd., ZYUS Life Sciences Inc., PlantForm Corporation, and Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI).

- Growing demand for cost-effective vaccines against infectious diseases and rising awareness about environmental benefits of plant-based production methods is expected to drive the market during the forecast period.

- Technological advancements including transient expression systems, viral vector-based platforms, and targeted glycoengineering are enabling development of complex subunit and viral vector vaccines from plants.

Market Trends

- Oral vaccine delivery using plant-based platforms is gaining attention due to its potential for mass vaccination campaigns and elimination of need for medical personnel during administration. Tobacco and lettuce are among leading platforms being investigated.

- Algae bioreactors have emerged as a scalable production system for next-generation vaccines as algae offer high biomass yields, ease of large-scale cultivation and transient expression advantages over whole-plant systems.

Market Opportunities

- Development of plant-based combination vaccines could help expand immunization coverage globally and simplify vaccination schedules. Popular targets include combined influenza-COVID shots.

- Exploring plant-based production of therapeutic antibodies and monoclonal antibodies presents a major commercial opportunity as global market for these biologics is rapidly expanding.

Impact of COVID-19 on Plant-based Vaccines Market Growth

COVID-19 has significantly impacted the growth of the plant-based vaccines market. During the pandemic, the focus shifted towards developing effective vaccines against coronavirus using plant-based platforms. Several companies initiated R&D efforts to produce COVID-19 vaccines using plants like tobacco, lettuce, and others. For instance, researchers at Texas A&M University developed a plant-based oral vaccine candidate by expressing the COVID-19 spike protein in tobacco plants.

The pandemic accelerated the clinical development of existing plant-based vaccine candidates targeting other diseases like influenza. It underscored the need for platforms that can quickly manufacture large quantities of vaccines when demand surges due to outbreaks. Plant-based systems enable rapid scalability as plants can produce vaccines in large bioreactors. The pre-COVID landscape of plant-based vaccines was dominated by candidates for influenza, HPV, and other pathogens. Post-COVID, companies are expanding their portfolios to include coronavirus vaccine candidates as well, anticipating their potential use in future pandemics.

While the pandemic provided a boost to R&D activities, it also disrupted clinical trials and delayed the development of some candidates. Ensuring uninterrupted supply chains and maintaining labor forces emerged as new challenges. Looking ahead, companies will need to focus on strengthening manufacturing capabilities and stockpiling facilities to better prepare for future health crises. Partnerships will be crucial to build robust production networks across geographies.

Geographical Regions with Highest Value for Plant-based Vaccines Market

North America currently accounts for the largest share of the global Plant-Based Vaccines Market Growth t in terms of value, estimated at over 35% in 2024. Presence of major players, higher healthcare spending, and rising funding for vaccine R&D are driving growth. The US is a major contributor, with the presence of companies like Medicago, IBIO and IDRI exploring plant-based platforms.

Europe is another lucrative region supported by increasingfocus onalternative vaccine technologies bybodies including theEuropean Commission. Initiatives promoting plant molecular farming have boosted research activities across nations like the UK, Germany and Belgium. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing regional market owing to initiatives in India, China, and other ASEAN countries advancing this area of research.

Fastest Growing Region for Plant-based Vaccines Market

Asia Pacific region is poised to witness the fastest growth over the forecast period for theplant-based vaccinesmarket. This can be attributed to factors like the rising investments by governments, expanding biologics manufacturing capabilities, and increasing burden of infectious diseases.

China and India have emerged as global manufacturing hubs for pharmaceuticals and biologics. They are investing heavily in building indigenous vaccine development infrastructures including for plant-made platforms. For example, the establishment of dedicated biomanufacturing parks for plant-made products signals growth opportunities. Asia Pacific countries are also actively funding joint research consortiums to accelerate development of new vaccines produced inplants for diseases endemic to the region. These developments will drive clinical research partnerships and commercialization of plant-based vaccines from Asia Pacific in the coming years.

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