Current Trends in Edible Vaccine Development using Transgenic Plants

Immunology textbooks currently report orally administered antigens as inducing immune tolerance rather than immune stimulation. Nevertheless, current plant-based edible vaccine technology, if sufficiently developed, may offer several advantages. For example, it is easy to apply, store, and transport. It could also induce both mucosal and systemic immune responses, which cannot be achieved using an injection vaccine. Plant-based vaccines are also anticipated to prove quite useful in the animal industry, since the cost of injection is a significant burden in the animal industry. Although no commercial plant-based edible vaccines are currently available, several candidate vaccines are undergoing clinical trials. Consequently, many scientists are anticipating that a commercial plant-based edible vaccine will be available in the near future. (C) KSBB