Plant Based Edible Vaccines: Curing Hepatitis B One Bite at a Time
Lexy McLeod
ZYT138
Friday 1:30pm
Edible vaccines are biologically modified plants that provide immunity to certain
diseases, in this case, Hepatitis B. When they are being made, the gene-encoding bacterial/viral
disease-causing agent can be incorporated without losing its ability to provoke an immune
response. Its main mechanism is to activates the systemic and mucosal immunity responses
against a foreign disease-causing organism. They are made in four main steps: propagation,
isolation, purification, and formulation. They started the production of hepatitis B in potato
plants. This is a viable option because of the limitations of a traditional vaccine. Failed
vaccinations can lead to the development of the infectious material. Quality control tests can fail
and lead to contamination and storage and refrigeration is needed. Additionally, the need of
trained personnel because of the administration of the traditional vaccine is needed. Injectable
vaccines also sometimes cause secondary effects such as local inflammation at the inoculation
point, fever and rarely some hypersensitivity issues. On the other hand, edible vaccines are
simply plant and animal-based products that trigger an animal’s immune system. An article
considering the topic says, “Edible vaccines offer a better choice predominantly in developing
countries because they are cost-effective, easily administrable, no storage issues and bio-
friendly” (Kurup, Vrinda. Thomas, Jaya. 82). The benefit of using a potato for hepatitis B
vaccine is the ease of the transformation and propagation. There is no need to store in
refrigerated spaces. – however, thy cannot be served cooked as it leads to the denature of
antigens. There are two methods to producing pant based edible vaccines. Direct Gene Delivery
Method: aka the simple method. Redcoats DNA or RNA in gold or tungsten which acts as a
micro-carrier. It is then loaded into a gene gun and exposed to high pressure of helium gas.
Because of the high pressure, the coated DNA moves into the plant cell, it then undergoes a
nuclear transformation. This method is expensive and can harm the plant. On the other hand,
indirect gene delivery: the plant cells are infected with plant bacteria or virus to produce the
protein.
Literature Cited
Kurup, V.M., Thomas, J. 2020. Edible Vaccines: Promises and Challenges. Mol Biotechnol 62,
79–90 [Link]