Imagine a future where vaccines are not only edible but also grown in plants. Welcome to the world of Molecular Farming, a revolutionary approach that could redefine our understanding of vaccine production and distribution. Let's delve into this fascinating realm.
The goal of molecular farming is to have plants synthesize medications and vaccines
Using genetic engineering and synthetic biology, scientists can introduce brand new biochemical pathways into plant cells-or even whole plants-essentially turning them into single-use bioreactors
- Plants are cheap to grow and resist common forms of contamination that haunt other drug manufacturing processes
- The resulting therapeutic proteins or vaccines are often stored inside their seeds or other plant cell components, which can be easily dehydrated for storage-no ultra-cold freezers or sterile carriers required
Edible Vaccines
With the rise of CRISPR and other precision gene-editing tools, “edible plant-made vaccines could now generate meaningful immune responses.”
- For now, edible plant-based therapeutics are still in the preclinical development phase.
- Current animosity towards GMOs may carry over. Costs and protocols for safe manufacturing will have to be in place.
What’s the Current Alternative?
Hijacking other lifeforms to make drugs isn’t new.
- Other mediums for synthesizing drugs, antibodies, and vaccines have relied on a rainbow of hosts, from the exotic-insect cells-to the slightly more mundane, such as eggs.
A Plant-Based Alternative
Plants are cheap to grow and easy to grow
- They require three things: light, water, and soil
- Greenhouses are more economical than stainless steel bioreactors
- Experienced farmers can gauge the best way to grow an antibody-producing tobacco leaf, antitoxin potato, or herpes vaccine-making soybean
- In developing countries, plant them in the field or on vertical stacks-no special equipment needed
- To harvest, crush the plants and extract the medications from the juice or simply freeze dry parts of the plant containing the drug into a powder for storage
