Biotech industry veteran Michael Wanner joins PlantForm’s Board of Directors
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GUELPH, Ont., Nov. 10, 2022 — PlantForm Corporation announced today that Michael Wanner, the former CFO and head of U.S. operations for Medicago, has joined PlantForm’s Board of Directors.
Wanner brings more than 30 years of experience in the biotechnology industry and related sectors, including more than a decade at Medicago where he led construction of the company’s manufacturing facility in Durham, N.C. He also guided technology transfer and production of more than 10 million doses of H1N1 vaccine in a one-month “rapid fire test” of plant-expressed vaccine technology under an agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Prior to Medicago, Wanner played key roles in three biotech startups involved in animal cloning, cancer diagnostic development and monoclonal antibody discovery. He began his career in biotech with Rhone Merieux Inc. (RMI) prior to its merger with Merck Agvet to create Merial – at the time the largest animal health company in the world.
Wanner’s appointment further deepens the industry expertise on PlantForm’s Board of Directors, which added Dr. Bruce Clark in September.
“We are very pleased to welcome Mike to the Board,” said Dr. Don Stewart, PlantForm’s President and CEO. “He brings strong leadership and vision to the table, with extensive financing and long-term business development and product development experience that will help PlantForm realize the global potential of our versatile vivoXPRESS® manufacturing system for rapid, low-cost protein drug development.”
About PlantForm Corporation (www.plantformcorp.com)
PlantForm Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the ultra-low-cost production of specialty antibody and protein drugs using the proprietary vivoXPRESS® plant-based manufacturing platform. The vivoXPRESS plant expression system reduces biologic drug production costs by as much as 90% compared to standard mammalian cell systems. The platform is fast (drug production in as little as six weeks), versatile and easily scalable. PlantForm’s pipeline features an innovative antidote to ricin exposure, and biosimilar versions of the brand name biologic drugs Keytruda® and Lucentis.® Learn more.
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