In our animal vaccine business, we are applying our silkworm-baculovirus expression system to the development of vaccines for companion animals. Our platform has demonstrated strong capability in expressing complex antigens, including virus-like particles (VLPs) and viral surface proteins such as the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
Companion Animal Vaccine Development
Vaccination remains one of the most effective tools for preventing infectious disease in cats and dogs, but conventional vaccine manufacturing can be costly and slow to scale for smaller-volume, specialty applications. KAICO’s silkworm-baculovirus expression system offers a flexible, GMP-compliant alternative for producing recombinant antigens used in companion animal vaccines.
We are currently in the early research and development stage, working with academic and industry partners to identify target antigens and validate expression yield and stability. As this program progresses, we plan to share updates on target diseases and development milestones.
Why the Silkworm-Baculovirus Platform
Recombinant antigen production for veterinary vaccines typically relies on mammalian cell culture, insect cell suspension systems, or bacterial expression. Each comes with trade-offs in cost, scalability, and the fidelity of protein folding and post-translational modification.
KAICO’s platform uses live silkworms as a natural bioreactor for baculovirus-mediated protein expression. This approach combines several advantages relevant to veterinary antigen production: eukaryotic post-translational modification comparable to mammalian systems, rapid turnaround from gene construct to expressed protein, and manufacturing scalability without the capital costs of large bioreactor infrastructure. These characteristics have made the platform well suited to producing complex antigens such as virus-like particles (VLPs) and viral surface proteins.
Our Development Approach
Our companion animal vaccine development follows a structured process from target selection through to expression validation.
Target and antigen selection:
We work with academic and industry partners to identify antigen candidates relevant to companion animal health.
Expression construct design and optimization:
Using our proprietary baculovirus expression vectors, we design and optimize constructs for expression in silkworm larvae or pupae.
Expression and purification:
Candidate antigens are expressed under vGMP-compliant conditions and purified for downstream evaluation for injectables, and grinded for oral application.
Evaluation and iteration:
Expression yield, protein stability, and antigenicity are assessed, with iterative optimization as needed.
Protein Expression Services
KAICO provides protein expression services using our original silkworm-baculovirus system to supply proteins essential for vaccine development to manufacturers.
The silkworm-baculovirus expression system, which utilizes live silkworms, excels in expressing virus-like particles (VLPs) such as those used in veterinary and industrial applications.