Vaccine salad? Scientists test mRNA vaccine grown from edible plants

Modern science is truly amazing. WFLA Reports that scientists at the University of California at Riverside are currently working on a way to grow plants capable of delivering mRNA vaccines … by mouth. I bet people who have an aversion to needles are heaving a huge sigh of relief right now.

For the background, mRNA vaccines, which teach your immune system cells how to recognize and fight infectious diseases, should be stored at cold temperatures until they are used. Otherwise, they will not remain stable. But if vaccines could be replicated in plant form, edible mRNA vaccines could actually remain viable at room temperature.

The team of scientists received a grant of $ 500,000 to explore this possibility. They try to achieve three goals:

1. To determine if they can deliver the DNA containing the mRNA vaccines into plant cells, where they can be reproduced.

2. Prove (hopefully!) That plants can create sufficient amounts of mNRA to replace the amount of a traditional vaccine.

3. To determine the correct “dosages” of herbs or how many herbs you should eat to make them an effective vaccine equivalent.

“We are testing this approach with spinach and lettuce and have long-term goals for people to grow it in their own gardens,” said Juan Pablo Giraldo, associate professor of botany and plant science at the University of California. -Riverside. via a press release. “Farmers could also cultivate entire fields. “

The mechanism that could make this possible are the chloroplasts, the handy organs inside plant cells that turn sunlight into energy. Previous studies have indicated that chloroplasts can create genes foreign to their own plant bodies. In the current herbal vaccine study, researchers are using nanotechnology to make this process more productive. Nanotechnology allows more genetic material to be deposited within these chloroplasts.

“Our idea is to reuse natural nanoparticles, namely plant viruses, for the delivery of genes to plants,” says 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.”

Vaccine salad? It looks delicious. Think about the possibilities. How about a Caesar vaccine or a compensated vaccine with lots of dressing? Would you rather have your sandwich with fries or a home vaccine?