K-Bio

K-Bio, formerly known as Kentucky BioProcessing, is a biotechnology company specializing in the rapid production of biologics using a proprietary plant-based expression platform. As a subsidiary of British American Tobacco, the company utilizes tobacco plants, specifically Nicotiana benthamiana, to express complex proteins including monoclonal antibodies and vaccines at high speed and scale. K-Bio gained international prominence for its role in developing ZMapp, an experimental treatment for Ebola, and has more recently advanced plant-based vaccine candidates for COVID-19 and seasonal influenza. The company operates as both a drug developer and a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), leveraging its unique technology to address global health challenges and emerging infectious diseases. Its facility in Owensboro, Kentucky, is one of the few in the world capable of large-scale plant-based protein production under GMP standards.