Molecular Farming : Human Vaccine in Tomato Purie

Researchers from the Universidad Catolica in Santiago, Chile have taken genetic sequences of cholera & hepatitis virus and put together into tomato plants. The host plant then produced key proteins of both the pathogens, in the same way, as they do in conventionally created vaccines using cell cultures from animals or microbes. The tomato derived vaccine, so obtained, could easily be stored in the seeds of tomatoes themselves.

However, the threats of cross-pollination and food crop contamination cannot be overlooked. There may well be a possibility that the pharma-plant, containing vaccine, is fortuitously consumed by an animal, which may cause desensitization inside its gastro-enteric tract. Or the active substance could enter the groundwater and lead to harmful effects.

The author recommends that such risks must be addressed, without more ado, by using non-food plants like moss, tobacco etc. or by growing plant cell-cultures in a contained environment.