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QS-21 is the Gold Standard vaccine adjuvant. It is used in popular RSV, Shingles, Malaria, and other vaccines to activate the human immune system. QS-21, (aka Quillaja saponaria 21%), is extracted from Quillaja saponaria trees which grow in Chile.
The cost of QS-21 has soared to about $400,000 per gram due to supply issues stemming from the high demand for this vaccine adjuvant, supply chain issues and Chilean deforestation laws which restrict the number of Quillaja saponaria trees which may be cut down.
BSI has solved the supply and cost issues without cutting down a single Quillaja saponaria tree! Through BSI’s innovative and proprietary approach, the Company can provide as much of this valuable, highly demanded compound as is needed.
BSI has opened dedicated R&D / production labs in Davis, California, where the Company grows its own Quillaja saponaria trees. The advanced botanical material (ABM) is extracted while the trees are in vitro… baby trees. BSI is producing enough advanced botanical material for kilogram quantities of ABM for pharma spec GMP QS-21.
BSI’s VP Latin America Diego Ibanez and Croda’s Marco Ciancia accepting the UK’s Big Sustainability Award for Best Product / Service of 2023
