You may have heard on NPR that American aid workers who contracted the Ebola virus in West Africa were treated with a drug made from tobacco plants.
What makes that drug, known as Z-Mapp, so effective against the Ebola virus is produced in Owensboro by Kentucky Bioprocessing.
KBP got its start with the help of facilities in the Centre for Business and Research, a small business incubator operated by the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation. EDC president Madison Silvert says while research done in the laboratories at the Centre contributed to the Ebola treatment research, the facility was not as important as the people involved.
"I don't think it's so much the stuff we have here, but the support it gave to the intellectual capital we had. The people we have working here at Kentucky BioProcessing are some of the best in the world. I think that's what's so unusual. You expect to find the best in the world in Boston. You expect to find the best in the world in Silicon Valley. But in the area of plant-made pharmaceuticals, the best in the world are in Owensboro, Kentucky.
There is much more to this story. You’ll hear the entire interview about the Ebola treatment and other research during The Trend Friday at noon central time on 88.3 WNIN-FM.