One very interesting talk I went to was entitled, "Recombinant Edible Plant Vaccines" by Dr. Liz Richter, at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research Incorporated in Ithaca, N.Y. She described a number of vaccines she and her co-workers have developed in the potato and banana plants. By placing DNA from bacteria or viruses into the DNA of plants, she can get production of the bacterial or viral proteins. The plants do not produce an infectious micro-organism (ex. rotaviruses, the cholera bacterium). They only produce the portion of the micro-organisms that would help our bodies mount an immune response and prevent us from getting ill. For instance, the outer protein coat of the rotavirus (causes diarrhea in babies) is made in the edible vaccine but not the virus' genetic material. Our immune systems can make antibodies to the protein coat and then prevent a rotavirus infection when a rotavirus tries to infect us.
The benefits would be tremendous. The developing countries of our world would be able to immunize their populations much more cheaply. Just grow the right plants, harvest the edible vaccine and give the banana or potato to the kids to eat. People would also be more willing to get immunized. If I had a choice between eating a few bananas or getting a shot I would choose the bananas every time. Even if I didn't like bananas a few distasteful mouthfuls would be better than that needle in the arm.
Don't get too excited just yet. These edible vaccines may not work. There are numerous problems still to solve. For example, our immune system may not work as well if it sees the micro-organism's protein in the gut rather than in our muscles. Testing for possible harmful effects of the edible vaccines will be necessary. Ideas on how to prevent improper use of the plants and testing on how effective these edible vaccines are in preventing disease will also be important. We do have hope for a better vaccine delivery system and maybe someday!
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