The early 2005 Conference in Montréal saw 29 PMP companies presenting their
most recent news to 380 participants (see Program). The Society for Moleculture
intends to reconvene this state-of-plant-factories meeting during the year 2006
in a location to be announced. Other activities aiming to bridge the PMP
community with investors and drug developers are also considered.
A definition of Moleculture
Mission of the Society for Moleculture
Board of directors
History
A definition of Moleculture
Moleculture is the use of eukaryotic organisms as plants or animals to produce
recombinant molecules useful to human or animal health, industrial
applications, nutrition, bioremediation, etc.
As of 2005, more than 50 companies and over 100 research institutions worldwide
are active in pharmaceutical moleculture. The sector’s stakeholders are the
agricultural sector, pharma companies, regulators, foundations, consumer and
activist groups, the community of patients and the general public.
Mission of the Society for Moleculture
To disseminate information on moleculture and to support the emergence of a
manufacturing sector using plant-factories to produce biopharmaceuticals,
industrial products and other useful molecules.
The Society is a non-for-profit organization made of individuals. Its
activities include conferences, a web site and publications.
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Board of Directors
Mr. François Arcand, president, Society for Moleculture and ERA Plantech, Spain
Dr. Paul Arnison, FAAR Biotech, Canada
Dr. Julio Baez, Fibrogen, USA
Dr. Antony Blanc, Syngenta, Switzerland
Dr. Julian Ma, St. George's Hospital, U.K., Medical School and Planta Pharma,
Europe
Mr. Butch Mercer, Dow AgroSciences, USA
Dr. Maurice Moloney, SemBioSys, Canada
Dr. Ulrich Steiner, Bayer, Germany
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History
The Society for Moleculture was established to manage the Conferences on
Plant-Made Pharmaceuticals. Formerly known as the “International Association of
Molecular Farming”, it is funded by organizations using plant-factories to
produce biopharmaceuticals.
The Conference on Plant-Made Pharmaceuticals held in Montréal, Québec, Canada
from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 assembled close to 400 persons for a three-day
state-of-the-sector meeting. The cPMP 2005 follows three events held in
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; London, Ontario; and Québec City, Québec.
The first conference was held in 1997 and drew 250 participants from academia
and emerging companies to Saskatoon to discus scientific issues. This
conference is believed to have been the first meeting where the term "molecular
farming" was used.
The second event took place in 1999 and presented a strong science program with
some business issues to some 450 people gathered in London (Ontario), including
a modest contingent of representatives from the pharma/biotech industry and
financing community. These conferences would not have been possible without the
involvement of Paul Arnison, Jim Brandle, Pete Desai, Wilf Keller, Andrea
Labaj, Pete McCann, Maurice Moloney, Gord Surgeoner, Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada (AAFC), and several sponsors.
The Québec City Conference, in 2003, was organized by the same team as the 2005
edition. It hosted 400 attendees, over half from outside Canada, come to
discuss technology, regulations, acceptability, and financing. The event was
financed by some twenty molecular farming companies and the governments of
Québec and Canada.
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