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Molecular Farming Means the Next Vaccine Could Be Edible and Grown in a Plant
It’s the dog days of summer. You bite down on a plump, chilled orange. Citrus juice explodes in your mouth in a refreshing, tingling burst. Ahh.
And congratulations—you’ve just been vaccinated for the latest virus.
That’s one of the goals of molecular farming, a vision 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.
The whole idea has a retro-futuristic science fiction vibe. First conceived of in 1986, molecular farming got its boost three decades later, when the FDA approved the first—and only—plant-derived therapeutic protein for humans to treat Gaucher disease, a genetic disorder that prevents people from breaking down fats.
But to Drs. Hugues Fausther-Bovendo and Gary Kobinger at Université Laval, Quebec and Galveston National Laboratory, Texas, respectively, we’re just getting started. In a new perspective article published last week in Science, the duo argues that plants have long been an overlooked resource for biomanufacturing.
Plants are cheap to grow and resist common forms of contamination that haunt other drug manufacturing processes, while being sustainable and environmentally friendly. 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.
They also work fast. In just three weeks, the Canadian company Medicago produced a candidate Covid-19 vaccine that mimics the outer layer of the virus to stimulate an immune response. The vaccine is now in late-stage clinical trials.
Even wilder, plants themselves can be turned into edible medicines. Rather than insulin shots, people with diabetes could just eat a tomato. Instead of getting a flu jab, you could munch on an ear of fresh, sweet corn. The draw of molecular farming encouraged DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) to finance three massive facilities to optimize plant-made vaccines.
And if we ever make it to Mars, plants are far easier to cultivate than setting up a whole pharmaceutical operation.
“Molecular farming could have a considerable impact on both human and animal health,” the authors said.
What’s the Current Alternative?
Hijacking other lifeforms to make drugs isn’t new.
Take the common yeast, a scientist’s favorite medium for genetic engineering and a brewer’s best friend. Using little circular “spaceships” that carry new genes, called vectors, scientist can create brand-new biochemical pathways into these critters. In one recent study, a Stanford team made 34 modifications to the yeast’s DNA to chemically assemble a molecule with widespread effects on human muscles, glands, and tissue.
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. The flu vaccine, for example, is cultured in chicken eggs, which supports the growth of an attenuated version of the virus to help stimulate the immune system. An upcoming Covid-19 vaccine is doing the same.
But if you’ve ever had the unfortunate experience of home brewing gone bad—beer, wine, kombucha, or otherwise—you’ll have a visceral feel of the dangers involved. Although using yeast or mammalian cells for biomanufacturing is the norm today, it’s a costly operation. Cells fill massive, rotating jugs inside strictly-controlled facilities. Operations are under constant threat of zoonotic pathogens—dangerous, disease-causing bugs that could waste a whole tank.
A Plant-Based Alternative
Using plants as replacement biofactories started with a simple calculation: they’re cheap and easy to grow. Plants only require three things: light, water, and soil. Add in fertilizer if you’re feeling fancy. Greenhouses, if needed, are still far more econom...
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By Singularity HubIt’s the dog days of summer. You bite down on a plump, chilled orange. Citrus juice explodes in your mouth in a refreshing, tingling burst. Ahh.
And congratulations—you’ve just been vaccinated for the latest virus.
That’s one of the goals of molecular farming, a vision 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.
The whole idea has a retro-futuristic science fiction vibe. First conceived of in 1986, molecular farming got its boost three decades later, when the FDA approved the first—and only—plant-derived therapeutic protein for humans to treat Gaucher disease, a genetic disorder that prevents people from breaking down fats.
But to Drs. Hugues Fausther-Bovendo and Gary Kobinger at Université Laval, Quebec and Galveston National Laboratory, Texas, respectively, we’re just getting started. In a new perspective article published last week in Science, the duo argues that plants have long been an overlooked resource for biomanufacturing.
Plants are cheap to grow and resist common forms of contamination that haunt other drug manufacturing processes, while being sustainable and environmentally friendly. 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.
They also work fast. In just three weeks, the Canadian company Medicago produced a candidate Covid-19 vaccine that mimics the outer layer of the virus to stimulate an immune response. The vaccine is now in late-stage clinical trials.
Even wilder, plants themselves can be turned into edible medicines. Rather than insulin shots, people with diabetes could just eat a tomato. Instead of getting a flu jab, you could munch on an ear of fresh, sweet corn. The draw of molecular farming encouraged DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) to finance three massive facilities to optimize plant-made vaccines.
And if we ever make it to Mars, plants are far easier to cultivate than setting up a whole pharmaceutical operation.
“Molecular farming could have a considerable impact on both human and animal health,” the authors said.
What’s the Current Alternative?
Hijacking other lifeforms to make drugs isn’t new.
Take the common yeast, a scientist’s favorite medium for genetic engineering and a brewer’s best friend. Using little circular “spaceships” that carry new genes, called vectors, scientist can create brand-new biochemical pathways into these critters. In one recent study, a Stanford team made 34 modifications to the yeast’s DNA to chemically assemble a molecule with widespread effects on human muscles, glands, and tissue.
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. The flu vaccine, for example, is cultured in chicken eggs, which supports the growth of an attenuated version of the virus to help stimulate the immune system. An upcoming Covid-19 vaccine is doing the same.
But if you’ve ever had the unfortunate experience of home brewing gone bad—beer, wine, kombucha, or otherwise—you’ll have a visceral feel of the dangers involved. Although using yeast or mammalian cells for biomanufacturing is the norm today, it’s a costly operation. Cells fill massive, rotating jugs inside strictly-controlled facilities. Operations are under constant threat of zoonotic pathogens—dangerous, disease-causing bugs that could waste a whole tank.
A Plant-Based Alternative
Using plants as replacement biofactories started with a simple calculation: they’re cheap and easy to grow. Plants only require three things: light, water, and soil. Add in fertilizer if you’re feeling fancy. Greenhouses, if needed, are still far more econom...