Recent Progress on Vaccines Produced in Transgenic Plants.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology and Molecular Biology
• Vaccinology
• Plant Science

Background:

• Plant-made vaccine development has progressed for over 20 years, facing persistent challenges in commercialization.
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical need for rapid and scalable vaccine production.
• Transgenic plants offer a potential platform for producing vaccines against various human diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements (past 5 years) in plant-made vaccine development for human diseases.
• To analyze different plant host species and expression systems for recombinant protein production.
• To discuss strategies for optimizing vaccine production protocols, focusing on protein recovery and purification.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of studies on plant-made vaccines over the last five years.
• Analysis of host plant species and expression system characteristics, including advantages and disadvantages.
• Examination of current protocols for recombinant protein production, purification, and optimization in plants.

Main Results:

• Several plant-made human vaccines are currently in clinical trials, demonstrating progress.
• Various plant expression systems exhibit distinct benefits and limitations for recombinant protein production.
• Optimization of production protocols is crucial for improving the efficiency and yield of plant-derived vaccines.

Conclusions:

• Plant-made vaccines hold significant potential for addressing global health challenges, including pandemics.
• Overcoming technical and regulatory hurdles is essential for the successful commercialization of plant-derived vaccines.
• Further research into host systems and production optimization will enhance the viability of this technology.