Human-derived, plant-produced monoclonal antibody for the treatment of anthrax

The unpredictable nature of bio-terrorism compels us to develop medical countermeasures that will enable authorities to treat individuals exposed to agents such as anthrax. We report the feasibility of producing a protective, human-derived, monoclonal antibody directed against the protective antigen (PA) of Bacillus anthracis in plants. This was achieved by transient expression using agroinfiltration of Nicotiana benthamiana plants. The resulting antibody was able to neutralize toxin activity in vitro and in vivo at a comparable level to that seen for its hybridoma-produced counterpart.