BioHarvest Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:BHST) announced it has successfully produced plant-based exosomes at scale in its proprietary bioreactors, a development the company says represents a breakthrough in its Botanical Synthesis platform.
Exosomes are nano-sized extracellular vesicles secreted by plant cells that carry bioactive compounds with higher absorption and bioavailability compared to standard plant-derived molecules, the company said on Wednesday.
They are gaining interest across therapeutic and cosmetic fields, including targeted drug delivery, tissue regeneration, anti-inflammatory treatments, and skincare.
According to BioHarvest, its bioreactors are engineered to foster high yields of exosomes by combining optimized growth media with light-permeable systems.
This approach, the company said, enhances both output and metabolite content relative to conventional plant or animal-based production methods.
The company said the exosomes produced in its large-scale VINIA bioreactors contain viniferin, a polyphenol known for anti-aging, antioxidant, firming, and brightening effects in skincare.
BioHarvest highlighted that its plant-derived exosomes offer a more effective delivery mechanism for viniferin than traditional formulations, due to their nano-sized structure that enables enhanced absorption and bioavailability in the skin.
Management added that the capability opens potential new revenue opportunities both through direct product development and as a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) partner for clients in cosmetics, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals.
Ilan Sobel, BioHarvest’s CEO, said the development represented a “significant new bonus layer of value from our core technology and could serve as an exciting new monetization path.”
"We are always pushing the boundaries of our Botanical Synthesis technology and the capabilities of our bioreactors, and we have now proven that our bioreactors can efficiently produce plant-based exosomes, a high-value class of biomolecules with significant potential in health and cosmetic industries,” Sobel said.
“We expect that within 18 to 24 months, we will be in a position to bring a new, highly differentiated skin care application to the market, using exosomes to carry viniferin in a more efficacious way.”
BioHarvest plans to provide further details during an investor webinar scheduled for September 10 at 1pm Eastern time.
Sobel will deliver a corporate update covering the company’s recent initiatives and outlook for the second half of 2025.