Plant-based vaccines - a new research field in the modern medicine

Tóm tắt

Although the concept of producing vaccines in plants originated in the 1980s, significant progress was only achieved when plant cell and gene technologies matured. Plant-based vaccines represent a novel and promising field in modern medicine, offering a cost-effective and scalable alternative to traditional vaccine production methods. These vaccines leverage genetically engineered plants as biofactories to produce recombinant proteins and virus-like particles (VLPs). Since the FDA approval of the plant-derived therapeutic protein taliglucerase alfa in 2012, numerous biologics-including vaccines against cholera, hepatitis B, dengue, HIV, HPV, Ebola, and COVID-19-have been developed via plant cell technology. Canada's approval of a COVID-19 vaccine in 2022 marks a major step forward in plant-based vaccine development.

Unlike conventional vaccines, plant-based vaccines can be delivered orally and are less prone to contamination by human pathogens, making them particularly suitable for resource-limited regions. Orally administered plant vaccines benefit from natural bioencapsulation within plant cell walls, protecting antigens from digestive degradation and enabling targeted release in the gut, where mucosal immune responses are activated. Recent examples, such as the MucoRice-CTB cholera vaccine, demonstrate safety, immunogenicity, and potential for practical use.

This review paper highlights the important advantages of plant vaccines, their immunogenic mechanisms, and the potential for oral vaccine development. Key production steps, current status, prospects, and challenges of plant-based vaccines are also discussed to provide a foundation for future research and development.