Cape Bio Pharms is a South African biotechnology company focused on developing innovative biopharmaceutical solutions through advanced plant based technologies. Founded in 2018 as a commercialisation initiative linked to research from the University of Cape Town’s Biopharming Research Unit, the company aims to produce complex proteins using plant expression systems rather than traditional animal- or cell-based production methods. By leveraging cutting-edge biotechnology, the company seeks to provide reliable and scalable sources of proteins used in biomedical research, diagnostics, and future therapeutic applications.
The company’s technology uses a transient plant-based expression platform that turns specially modified plants into natural “bioreactors” capable of producing recombinant proteins, antibodies, and enzymes. These biomolecules can be used in drug discovery, diagnostic tests, and other life science applications, offering a flexible and cost effective alternative to conventional manufacturing systems. Through its subsidiary, Cape Biologix, the organisation also produces plant-derived proteins for research and diagnostic use, contributing to global biosecurity and advancing biotechnology innovation in Africa and beyond.