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Foods as Production and Delivery Vehicles for Human Vaccines

Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, 310 ERML (S.S.K., S.F.K.), University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology (D.E.B.), University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

Address reprint requests to: Schuyler S. Korban, PhD, Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, 310 ERML University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801. E-mail: s-korban{at}uiuc.edu

Vaccination is a great asset for eradication of infectious diseases in humans and animals. With the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains and an alarming increase in new and re-emerging pathogens, the need for vaccination continues to be a high priority for mammalian diseases. In the last several years, a novel approach for developing improved mucosal subunit vaccines has emerged by exploiting the use of genetically modified plants. It has been demonstrated that plant-derived antigens are functionally similar to conventional vaccines and can induce neutralizing antibodies in mammalian hosts. Using genetically engineered plants for the production of immunogenic peptides also provides a new approach for the delivery of a plant-based subunit vaccine, i.e., oral delivery, provided these immunogenic peptides are expressed in an edible part of the plant, such as grain or fruit. Thus, food crops can play a significant new role in promoting human health by serving as vehicles for both production and delivery of vaccines.

Key words: food crops, transgenic plants, plant-based vaccines, oral edible vaccines

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