Vaccine-Laced Food
During the past two hundred years, there has been tremendous progress in
the control of some diseases through the use of vaccine. Smallpox, diphtheria, measles,
polio – these diseases formerly were the scourges of the earth and destroyed hundreds
of thousands of children every year. Through trial and error, vaccines slowly were
discovered, developed, and soon almost every child was becoming protected from a litany of
these lethal threats.
The administration of vaccines has "solved the problem" in the United States,
but even here, some vaccines are not being developed because it is considered to be
"not cost effective". Many third world countries cannot even afford the current
vaccines nor the equipment they require, and many locations do not have the trained staff
and other resources that it takes to administer a program of vaccinating every new child
born in their country day in and day out.
There is promise for a brighter future! Vaccine-laced food is seriously being
investigated. This would link immunology and plant molecular biology together in the
creation of genetically engineered plants whose edible parts contain proteins that can
function as oral vaccines. This approach to plant-based vaccines for oral delivery could
simplify vaccination and increase compliance, very safely, and at a low-cost.
Science fiction? Maybe not for much longer.
— Peter Leibert, Editor
Back to Issue - July / August 1998
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