Edible vaccines: A new approach for oral immunization

Abstract

Vaccines are biological substances that build protection against several infectious diseases. The edible vaccine is a new development that allows the introduction of desired genes into plants. These engineered plants give rise to encoded proteins thereby providing immunity against infections. In poor developing nations, there are few limitations for the use of conventional vaccines such as – the high cost of production & purification, the need for sophisticated devices for storage such as cold chains, and safety issues where consumable vaccines can overcome such barriers. They offer many advantages such as ease of manufacture, storage, cost- effectiveness, and better acceptability by people globally. Recently, efforts are being made to the development of a green vaccine against the novel coronavirus. This article explores the concept of edible vaccines, emphasizing the applications and their current status during the COVID19 pandemic.