New vaccine production method cuts prices dramatically
University of Central Florida scientist develops new, cheap way to mass-produce vaccines: Plants such as tobacco, lettuce, or carrots are first injected with vaccine genes; the plants are then planted in a greenhouse before being crushed and put into capsules to be taken by patients
Most times you get what you pay for, but at times you get more — much more — than what you pay for. This is going to be the case with Professor Henry Daniell of the University of Central Florida, who is developing a method to produce inexpensive vaccines against disease. Daniell has found a way to engineer plants genetically to make large amounts of certain vaccines. The drugs, taken orally rather than by injection, would be much cheaper than traditional vaccines, thus making them ideal for use in poor countries or on a large scale in more developed countries. The U.S. government hopes the research will boost the availability of medicines to fight bioterror threats such as anthrax.
This is how the new method works: Scientists first inject plants, like tobacco, lettuce, or carrots, with vaccine genes. The plants are then planted in a greenhouse before being crushed and put into capsules to be taken by patients. The method skips a number of traditional processes involved in producing the therapeutic proteins needed to make vaccines, allowing for major reduction in the price of the final product.
Professor Daniell says that “By [employing the method he has developed] you completely eliminate all the other costs associated with the therapeutic proteins. But the major unanticipated advantage of this was our ability to cure certain autoimmune diseases which has never been done before. And so that was an added benefit which came in relation to reducing the cost of the therapeutic proteins.” These oral vaccines, if approved, would be much easier to mass produce. It is estimated just one acre of tobacco plants, for example, could produce enough anthrax vaccine to inoculate everyone in the United States.
Professor Daniell says the possibilities are many. “We have now developed this system for several vaccines — for the bio-terrorism vaccines like anthrax and for plague, but for other important diseases in developing countries — waterborne pathogens like cholera, amebiasis and also viruses like rotavirus. All of these vaccines have already been developed. We are also in the process of developing vaccines for malaria and tuberculosis.”
The U.S. government, including the National Institutes of Health, has provided $3 million of funding for the research. Tests in mice have been successful and it is believed there are fewer side effects than with traditional vaccines. The next step, Professor Daniell describes, “is to move this to human clinical trials. And in the case of bioterrorism vaccines, these are on fast track approval. And so in those cases we have found additional support in the U.S. It is extremely expensive — it costs $300-400 million to do these clinical trials.”
Scientists hope the research will lead to treatments for further illnesses, including diabetes and hepatitis, as well as other bioterrorism agents.
-read more in Steve Mort’s Voice of America report
