Combating Human Viral Diseases: Will Plant-Based Vaccines Be the Answer?

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Plant Sciences
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Molecular pharming has advanced significantly over 30 years, using plants and plant cell cultures to produce recombinant proteins.
• Biopharmaceuticals derived from plants, via stable or transient expression, are being developed to combat viral diseases with pandemic potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review strategies and successes in developing plant-derived vaccines against various viral infections.
• To discuss plant-made biopharmaceuticals targeting hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human papillomavirus (HPV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), influenza, Zika virus, and SARS-CoV-2.

Main Methods:

• Exploration of transgenic plants and plant virus-based transient expression systems for biopharmaceutical production.
• Detailed discussion on the utilization of plant virus-derived nanoparticles (VNPs) and virus-like particles (VLPs) for vaccine generation.

Main Results:

• Numerous plant-derived biopharmaceuticals have demonstrated efficacy in animal models and success in clinical trials.
• Plant-based vaccines show potential for addressing a wide range of viral diseases, including highly communicable infectious agents.

Conclusions:

• Plant-based molecular pharming offers a promising avenue for developing vaccines and therapeutics against critical viral threats.
• The technology holds significant potential for human medicine and rapid emergency response vaccine deployment.