University of the Philippines scientists have expressed optimism that such plant-derived "edible vaccines" will be a reality in three to five years.
The vaccines are foreseen to be consumed in dried products or powder form placed in sachet (small bag or packet) for mixing with drinks or food.
Now collaborating in this scientific endeavor are UP Manila (UPM) and UP Los Baños-Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB).
UPLB-IPB reported on the project, among other IPB research and development activities, to science journalists who recently attended a workshop on biotechnology in Los Baños, Laguna.
Clinical trials on "edible vaccines" are underway in some laboratories in the country, the Los Baños-based Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCARRD) also disclosed.
Government agricultural and health science and technology institutions have already expressed their interest in the scientific thrust.
These include DOST-PCARRD, Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI), Department of Health (DOH), Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP), International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotechnology Applications (ISAAA), UPLB National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH), Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), and St. Luke’s Medical Center-Biotechnology Research Center (SLMC-BRC).
"Edible vaccines are cost-effective and reliable in production and delivery, especially for developing countries like the Philippines," Dr. Nina Gloriani-Barzaga, UP Manila professor of medical microbiology and microbial immunology, pointed out at a recent forum on biotechnology research and regulation.
Compared with injectable vaccines, edible vaccines are simpler, easier, cheaper to administer, and acceptable to the public.
Dr. Barzaga added that edible vaccines would elicit mucosal as well as systematic immunity (immunity of the entire body). This will help control transmission at the level where the pathogen (disease-causing organism) enters the host and will provide systemic immunity.
A UPM project focuses on Salmonella typhi, a bacillus found in human urine and feces and is responsible for causing typhoid fever. Experts say typhoid fever continues to be an endemic infection with the incidence of recognized cases highest during rainy months.
Multidrug-resistant cases have also been recognized for this disease.
The UP Manila project aims to produce transgenic (genetically modified) bananas or tomatoes bearing Salmonella typhi genes encoding for flagellar antigen (a sustance that produces antibody which neutralizes body toxins) capable of stimulating an immune system. UPM is collaborating with UPLB-IPB in this project.
Other infectious agents such as Escherichia coli, Vibric cholerae, and human immunodeficiency virus will also be studied for possible production of edible vaccines.