• An Augusta biomanufacturer is building a new facility to produce a key ingredient for malaria treatments.
• The chemical, artemisinin, is a vital component in drugs used to combat the deadly mosquito-borne illness.
• The company, Manus, is also partnering with the University of Georgia on a biomanufacturing apprenticeship program.

An Augusta biomanufacturer will start making ammunition in the global fight against malaria.

Manus last week broke ground at its local plant on Lovers Lane on a production facility to produce artemisinin. The chemical is a key starting component in drug treatments to treat the deadly mosquito-borne illness. Malaria killed more than 600,000 people worldwide in 2024, according to the World Health Organization

“This groundbreaking reflects a shift from dependence to capability,” said Ajikumar Parayil, Manus’ founder and CEO. “For decades, the U.S. has relied heavily on overseas supply chains for the building blocks of essential medicines. What we’re establishing in Augusta is a new model – one that restores control, strengthens resilience, and proves that advanced biomanufacturing can be deployed at scale, here at home.”

About 80% of key ingredients for essential U.S. medicines are made or sourced overseas, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

That has led companies such as Manus to pursue biomanufacturing production models capable of making medical compounds domestically, efficiently and on a large scale.

Earlier in 2026, Manus won federal funding to expand production to make shikimic acid, a key compound in the antiviral medication oseltamivir, better known by its brand name Tamiflu.

On April 30, Manus announced a partnership with the University of Georgia to start a structured biomanufacturing apprenticeship program in Augusta. With a UGA “academic blueprint,” according to Manus, apprentices would receive extensive training on live production equipment to produce more experienced professionals for bio-industrial manufacturers nationwide.

Manus reopened Augusta’s old NutraSweet plant in 2019. In 2021, it introduced NutraSweet Natural, a zero-calorie stevia sweetener made using a smaller environmental footprint.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Local restaurants hosted brunches for Mother’s Day, allowing neighbors to celebrate the day with the special women in their lives.

The Brunch House of Augusta on Greene Street hosted a brunch. The restaurant served berry pancakes and French toast, waffles, ham and cheese breakfast sliders and more breakfast foods.

One of the owners said the holidays are a great time for them to make connections with the community.

“We just had a group here come here that’s been coming here every year Mother’s Day for three years, every year basically since we’ve been open, they come in every year for Mother’s Day. We have people from out of town come and travel and visit us, so it’s definitely building that connection,” said Ashley Brown, co-owner of The Brunch House of Augusta.

Brown said they will be offering some specials for the upcoming Juneteenth holiday next month.

The Frog and the Hen also hosted a Mother’s Day brunch. The restaurant had about 350 people come in as of around 3 p.m.

They served foods like fried chicken, cheddar biscuits, French toast casserole and more.

The general manager said she enjoys seeing families come in for holidays like Mother’s Day.

“I feel like these are all my children here, so I feel like this day just in general, like I get to be the mother here, and so this is like I’m mother hen, so I get to take care of all this. I love supporting all the people as well and just being able to get the best food possible, the best chicken everywhere,” said Sheridan Roberts, general manager of Frog and the Hen.

Roberts said they often have to stop making reservations a few weeks ahead of the holiday due to the amount they receive.