Edible Plants into Vaccines

Edible Plants into Vaccines

Subject – Science and Tech

Context – University of California, Riverside scientists are studying whether they can turn edible plants like lettuce into mRNA vaccine factories.

Concept –

• Messenger RNA or mRNA technology, used in Covid-19 vaccines, works by teaching our cells to recognize and protect us against infectious diseases.
• One of the challenges with this new technology is that it must be kept cold to maintain stability during transport and storage.
• If this new project is successful, plant-based mRNA vaccines — which can be eaten — could overcome this challenge with the ability to be stored at room temperature.
• The project has three goals: showing that DNA containing the mRNA vaccines can be successfully delivered into the part of plant cells where it will replicate, demonstrating the plants can produce enough mRNA to rival a traditional shot, and finally, determining the right dosage.
• Ideally, a single plant would produce enough mRNA to vaccinate a single person.
• Key to making this work are chloroplasts — small organs in plant cells that convert sunlight into energy the plant can use. They’re tiny, solar-powered factories that produce sugar and other molecules which allow the plant to grow. They’re also an untapped source for making desirable molecules.