‘Edible vaccines’ in the pipeline

Coming soon: "Edible vaccines".

Now working together in the preparation of the "vaccine cuisines" are scientists of UP Manila and UP Los Baños.

Clinical trials on plant-derived edible vaccines are being conducted in some laboratories in the country and the end-products may be out of the pipeline in three to five years.

"Such vaccines are cost-effective and reliable in production and delivery, especially for developing countries like the Philippines," Dr. Nina Gloriani Barzaga, UPM professor of medical microbiology and microbial immunology, said at a recent scientific forum on biotechnology.

She added that compared with injectiable vaccines, edible vaccines are cheaper and easier and simpler to administer and more acceptable to the public.

Edible vaccines are seen to be consumed in dried or powder form placed in sachets for mixing with food or drinks.

Several science institutions have expressed interest in the research headway. These include the Department of Health, DA-Bureau of Plant Industry, UPLB National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotechnology Applications, Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, St. Luke’s Medical Center-Biotechnology Research Center, and Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development. — RAF