Can you grow COVID-19 vaccine lettuce? UC Riverside scientists think so

Supported by a $ 500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the project works by showing how DNA with mRNA vaccines can be delivered into plant cells in a way that allows them to replicate. If that works, it could mean that plants could produce as much mRNA as a traditional vaccine injection.

“We are testing this approach with spinach and lettuce and have long-term goals for people to grow it in their own gardens,” added Giraldo, who leads the research and works in collaboration with researchers at UC. San Diego and Carnegie Mellon University. “Farmers could also cultivate entire fields. “

Among the healthiest vegetables in the world, spinach (credit: Boaz Lavi)

But how do mRNA vaccines replicate inside plants?

The key, it turns out, is the chloroplasts. These small organelles exist exclusively in plant cells and cannot be found in non-plant life forms, with the exception of the amoeboid known as Paulinella chromatophora.

The amount of chloroplasts per cell varies greatly depending on the plant. Inside the cell, they behave dynamically and perform a wide variety of functions such as synthesizing fatty acids, amino acids and helping the plant’s immune response.

But its best-known and most crucial function is to drive photosynthesis, where chlorophyll captures energy from sunlight and transforms it into energy stored in ATP and NADPH molecules. This process allows it to release oxygen from the water into the cells. It also performs what’s called the Calvin cycle, using ATP and NADPH to convert carbon dioxide into glucose.

These processes are essential for sustaining the life of a plant, as well as sustaining life on Earth. Indeed, thanks to photosynthesis, plants essentially “breathe” carbon dioxide while releasing oxygen as waste, which is not only the opposite of most life forms, which breathe heavily. oxygen and release carbon dioxide, but are also responsible for producing and maintaining the Earth’s oxygen. in general.

But the ability of chloroplasts to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into glucose and other molecules has other implications, Giraldo saying they are an “untapped source for making desirable molecules.”

And he has evidence to back it up. His previous research has shown that chloroplasts can express genes that are not naturally part of the plant if foreign genetic material is properly sent into the plant cell. Of course, this could only be done if the material was encased in the right protective material, and figuring out which material would be used can be particularly tricky. However, it is precisely in this area that Giraldo’s laboratory is specialized.

But to access it, you need nanotechnology. That’s why Giraldo partnered with UC San Diego nanotechnology specialist Professor Nicole Steinmetz to introduce mRNA material into chloroplasts.

“Our idea is to reuse naturally occurring nanoparticles, namely plant viruses, for the delivery of genes to plants,” said Steinmetz. “A little bit of engineering goes into it to get the nanoparticles to go to the chloroplasts and also to make them non-infectious to plants.”

Vials with labels of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine can be seen in this illustrative photo taken on March 19, 2021. (Credit: REUTERS / DADO RUVIC / ILLUSTRATION / FILE PHOTO)

If successful, these findings could revolutionize the way vaccines are delivered in the human body. This is particularly relevant, as vaccine reluctance is high in many places around the world, which in the COVID-19 pandemic, for which the most widely used vaccines are vaccines with MRNAs, manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna, may contribute to the increase in cases.

This was revealed in a study published in June 2021 by the University of Oxford, which suggested that treating fear of needles could reduce vaccine reluctance by more than 10%.

It may be a small number, but as Professor Daniel Freeman of the Oxford Department of Psychiatry noted, “When it comes to controlling COVID-19, every vaccination counts.”

Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.