Edible Vaccines!

[archerships]

When Dr. Charles Arntzen of Arizona State University visited Thailand in 1992, he was not expecting a moment of scientific "eureka" that would redirect his career. However, after observing a young Thai mother soothing her fussy infant with bits of banana, this plant molecular biologist was struck with an idea that is both startling and ingenious. What if, in addition to quieting her child, the mother could also administer a life-saving vaccine in the banana?

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Disease-prevention via an edible vaccine is great news for people around the globe. The problem with current vaccination protocols-- and the passion behind Arntzen's research--is that what works in the developed world is often much more difficult to deliver in the developing world, or simply too costly for them to buy. A vaccine that requires a sterile syringe, refrigeration prior to injection, and repeat booster shots is difficult to implement in many countries. Unfortunately, this often means that the people who most need a vaccine cannot get it. In a discussion of his work, Arntzen points out that "each year diarrhea kills about two and one-half million children under the age of five." Arntzen persuasively uses such horrendous statistics to champion his cause. In his own words, It's hard to be pro-infant mortality."

While Arntzen's edible vaccine is likely to win approval from children everywhere, there are actually significant medical advantages to this route of administration. An oral vaccine incorporated into a plant bypasses the need for sterile syringes, costly refrigeration, or multiple injections. Furthermore, since many of the developing world's most deadly diseases--cholera, rotavirus, or E. coli to name a few--enter the body through the gastrointestinal tract, a vaccine that is ingested may actually provide the best protection because it mimics the natural route of infection.

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His most recent clinical trials are particularly exciting. Human volunteers who enrolled in a study at the University of Maryland in Baltimore started producing antibodies against Norwalk virus (which causes acute bouts of diarrhea) after eating Arntzen's creations-- genetically engineered potato. Negotiations are currently in progress to start clinical trials abroad with the International Vaccine Institute in Korea, a new center funded in large part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Clinical trials of cholera vaccines are also planned to take place there as well as in Vietnam and Cambodia, regions where cholera is still a serious medical concern.

via flinn.org

Posted via email from crasch's posterous