14 DAY TRIAL // A University of Central Florida molecular biologist claims he has found an efficient and safe method to produce huge quantities of anthrax vaccine using one acre of tobacco.
Current production of the vaccine involves an expensive fermentation process that can cause harmful side effects such as inflammation, flu-like symptoms and rashes. This has prompted some people to refuse to be vaccinated.
"Anthrax vaccine is very much in need, primarily because of bioterrorism concerns. But in the United States, only one company has the capacity to produce the vaccine, and it is made in very small quantities by fermentation. We can provide enough doses of a safe and effective vaccine for all Americans from just one acre of tobacco plants," Henry Daniell said.
Daniell and his colleagues injected the vaccine gene into the chloroplast genome of tobacco cells, partly because those plants grow much faster than carrots, tomatoes and coffee.
The tests on mice, which were exposed to lethal doses of anthrax, showed that the vaccine has the same effect as that obtained through fermentation and not a single side effect.
According to the researcher, a single acre of tobacco could be used to obtain 360 million doses per year.
The vaccine is not available on the market yet, clinical trials in which humans are injected with the vaccine, but not anthrax, being necessary. These tests target the test of immunity levels.
Image credit: Jerry Klein