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Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1389-5575
ISSN (Online): 1875-5607

Review Article

Plastid Molecular Pharming I. Production of Oral Vaccines via Plastid Transformation

Author(s): Bernadett Berecz*, Helga Zelenyánszki, Sára Pólya, Cecília Tamás-Nyitrai and Mária Oszvald

Volume 17, Issue 13, 2017

Page: [1292 - 1315] Pages: 24

DOI: 10.2174/1389557516666161004161801

Price: $65

Abstract

Background: Vaccines produced in plants have opened up new opportunities in vaccination.

Objective: Among the various categories of vaccines, the recombinant vaccine is generally regarded as the most economical and safest type because it cannot cause disease and does not require large-scale cultivation of pathogens. Due to the low cost of their cultivation, plants may represent viable alternative platforms for producing subunit vaccines. Genetic engineering of plastids is the innovation of the last three decades and has numerous benefits when compared to nuclear transformation. Due to the high level of expression, oral vaccines produced in transplastomic plants do not have to be purified as they can be consumed raw, which, therefore, reduces the cost of preparation, transportation and handling of the vaccines. Oral vaccination also excludes the risk of other infections or contaminations, while compartmentation of the plant cell provides an excellent encapsulation to the antigen within the plastid.

Results & Conclusion: Herein we review the main biotechnological and immunological aspects of the progress achieved in the field of plastid derived edible vaccines during the last decade. As there is a public debate against genetically modified crops, the advantages and limitations of oral vaccines are also discussed.

Keywords: Genetic engineering, molecular pharming, oral vaccine, plastid biotechnology, plastid transformation, transplastomic plants.

Graphical Abstract


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