Plant-based vaccines against viruses

Edward P. Rybicki

doi:10.1186/preaccept-2088894788140228

Abstract

Plant-made or “biofarmed” viral vaccines are some of the earliest products of the technology of plant molecular farming, and remain some of the brightest prospects for the success of this field. Proofs of principle and of efficacy exist for many candidate viral veterinary vaccines; the use of plant-made viral antigens and of monoclonal antibodies for therapy of animal and even human viral disease is also well established. This review explores some of the more prominent recent advances in the biofarming of viral vaccines and therapies, including the recent use of ZMapp for Ebolavirus infection, and explores some possible future applications of the technology.

Highlights

The science of “molecular farming”, or the use of plants and plant cell cultures to produce high-value recombinant proteins, started with the production via transgenic tobacco and sunflower of chimaeric human growth hormone in 1986 [1], of monoclonal antibodies in transgenic tobacco in 1989 [2], and human serum albumin in transgenic tobacco and cell cultures [3]
Virus vaccines have been a large and exciting part of this field almost from its beginning, for disease agents ranging from Hepatitis B to C to Foot and mouth disease viruses, from Human papillomavirus and Human rotavirus to ovine Bluetongue and Rabbit haemorrhagic disease viruses, to mention just a few
Aspects of this history have been covered recently, and in particular for virus-like particle based vaccines including rotaviruses and Norwalk virus [9], Human papillomaviruses [10] and Hepatitis B virus [11], and so these will not be discussed in detail here except where there is new material to be covered

Summary

Introduction

The science of “molecular farming”, or the use of plants and plant cell cultures to produce high-value recombinant proteins, started with the production via transgenic tobacco and sunflower of chimaeric human growth hormone in 1986 [1], of monoclonal antibodies in transgenic tobacco in 1989 [2], and human serum albumin in transgenic tobacco and cell cultures [3]. HIV vaccines were an early target for plant expression studies, with a variety of targets: HIV-1 p24 capsid protein was expressed successfully in transgenic tobacco, albeit at low yield (0.35% of TSP), as long ago as 2002 [107]; the suitability of transgenic maize as a production platform for oral delivery of HIV vaccines in seed extracts was tested using SIV major surface glycoprotein gp130 [108]; a novel gp41-derived molecule incorporating a CTB fusion as polymerising agent and adjuvant was produced via agroinfiltration-mediated expression in N benthamiana [109] and shown to produce mucosal and serum antimembrane proximal region (MPR) antibodies in mice after mucosal prime-systemic boost immunisation [110]; a Tat mon There is an increased likelihood of the technology being employed for other agents, such as MERS-CoV, RVFV and West Nile and Chikungunya viruses, where “One Health” principles are important

Conclusions

18. Pniewski T

26. Hepatitis C

38. Abdel-Mageed WS

49. Pellerin C

Findings

54. Sippel K: Medicago reports positive results for H7N9 pre-clinical trial