218: Silkworm Biomanufacturing: From Ancient Silk Production to Phase I Vaccine Trials with Masafumi Osawa - Part 2

For generations, silkworm pupae were discarded as waste from silk production. Now, KAICO is proving these organisms can function as highly efficient protein factories—producing complex vaccine antigens at yields and costs that challenge conventional bioreactor-based manufacturing. With a PCV2 oral vaccine already registered in Vietnam and a human norovirus vaccine preparing for Phase I clinical trials, the silkworm platform is moving from proof-of-concept to commercial reality.

In Part 2, Masafumi Osawa, Business Development Lead at KAICO, walks us through the company's product pipeline, the regulatory landscape for this unprecedented platform, and why silkworm-based manufacturing could reshape global vaccine accessibility. From farm-scale validation to regulatory dialogue with Japan's PMDA, this episode bridges platform science with product development.

Stops along our Silk Road to biomanufacturing

• KAICO’s approach to expressing complex proteins, including oral and injectable vaccines for animals and clinical-stage human health products (00:40)
• Immune-enhancing feed additive for pigs against PCV2 (registered in Vietnam), companion animal products, and human norovirus vaccine entering Phase 1 trials (02:50)
• Advantages of silkworm-produced antigens for both injectable and oral vaccines, and comparison to plant-based systems (04:57)
• How silkworm production enables rapid scale-out and high-yield protein expression for global accessibility (05:34)
• Speed of vaccine development with the silkworm platform—example with SARS-CoV-2 recombinant protein produced in three months (08:08)
• Key regulatory differences between animal and human vaccine development, including country-specific classification and global harmonization efforts (09:14)
• Sustainability and distributed manufacturing potential of silkworm-based systems (11:10)
• Milestones toward the first human biologic produced in silkworms, with phase 1 trials starting soon (12:27)
• Protein yield per silkworm pupae—scalability advantages compared to conventional bioreactor approaches (14:04)
• Masafumi Osawa’s thoughts on the future of silkworm-based biologics: from democratized therapies to personalized medicines (15:15)

Want to know if silkworms can solve your tough protein expression problems? Tune in now to learn how KAICO’s biotech is set to redefine what’s possible for vaccine development, and how their distributed, cost-effective approach could open doors across sectors.

Connect with Masafumi Osawa,:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/masa-osawa

KAICO Ltd.: www.kaicoltd.jp/en

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