Dr. Vidadi Yusibov (left),
Executive Director of CMB with
Delaware Governor Jack Markell.

Fraunhofer Center for Molecular Biotechnology (CMB)

The Fraunhofer Center for Molecular Biotechnology (CMB) conducts research and development in plant and microbial biotechnology with a focus on plant-based systems for rapid, inexpensive production of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. The Center has also expanded into identifying new microbes with potential for industrial and medical applications. In the CMB lab, approximately 13,000 square feet is dedicated to a pilot plant for the production of material under Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) for early phase clinical trials.

The Center has assembled a diverse staff with expertise in plant virology, molecular biology, plant biology, biochemistry and immunology, and has core research groups specializing in expression technologies and protein target design, plant tissue culture, engineering and biomass production, downstream processing and analytical biochemistry, and immunology and formulation. 

Business Areas

Vaccines
Transient gene expression provide a particularly effective modality for developing vaccines used in the prevention and treatment of diseases, including applications for anti-bioterrorism. 

Protein Therapeutics
Molecular farming offers a safer and less expensive means of producing monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) while eliminating the risk of contamination by animal pathogens, with low investment scale-up.

Industrial Enzymes
Molecular farming stimulates higher yield and significantly reduces the costs associated with industrial biocatalysis; while directed evolution allows improvement of enzyme function.

Ag Biotech
Transient gene expression helps define the function of new genes and can be used to alter the metabolism of plants for the production of desired metabolites.