PoLoPo submits its SuperAA platform potato plant to USDA

PoLoPo, a molecular farming pioneer, has just announced it has submitted its application for Regulatory Status Review (RSR) to the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the first step towards regulatory approval for its SuperAA platform, turning the potato plant into a micro-biofactory derived from proprietary metabolic engineering techniques. With this development, PoLoPo is the first Israeli molecular farming company to seek US regulatory approval.

Once granted, USDA approval will establish that PoLoPo’s platform poses no agricultural or pest risk compared to traditional potato growing.

This approval, expected within six months, will enable PoLoPo to pursue its commercial plans to grow its transgenic potato plants in the U.S. through partners and local growers.

“This is an important milestone for molecular farming as well as for PoLoPo to establish safety and clearance to begin growing GMO plants,” commented PoLoPo CEO, Maya Sapir-Mir, PhD. “The production of ovalbumin in plants, not animals, will transform food processing with a price- and supply chain-stable option and set off a domino effect on sustainability, a big first step toward changing our food industry.”

PoLoPo’s platform presents an affordable alternative to an industry reeling from increased egg prices, supply chain instability, and avian flu outbreaks. Potato plants manufacture the target proteins in the plant and store them in the tuber. Tubers are harvested when they reach sufficient size, then their proteins are extracted and dried into a powder that integrates seamlessly into current food processing lines and formulations. While derived from genetically engineered plants, the resulting protein powder contains no genetic material and is considered non-GMO.