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VACCINES THAT YOU CAN EAT Scientists are also working on edible vaccines by genetically engineering them into plants such as bananas, potatoes, lettuce and corn. They show promise but there is much opposition to genetically engineered plants because there is danger the altered genes may escape their rightful place and end up spreading into "normal" plants. This is happening already in a few cases and it is not making folks who want to grow the original unaltered plants happy at all. But there are other ways than genetic engineering to make a vaccine from plants. A Philadelphia company called NuCycle is trying to make a vaccine for anthrax from petunias, spinach, and Swiss chard. The vaccine will be tested on 30 Navy volunteers by early 2005 if the Food and Drug Administration approves it.
They aren't fooling with the plant's genes. NuCycle creates a template of the anthrax gene, that is incorporated into a spray solution. This is sprayed on the plant, which reacts by growing the protective protein in its leaves. The protective protein is then made into a pill. The big problem, so far, is making the plants make enough of the protective protein to be economically useful. The big hope is to make vaccines that can fight bioterrorism, but edible vaccines are being experimented with in many areas. Even animals may be spared the needle in the future. Scientists are trying to train tobacco plants to fight an often fatal pig disease called porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. Good news if you are a pig, but good news for Farmers too. Pigs aren't stupid. It is a whole lot easier to feed a pig food than to stick it with a needle!
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