| Now veggie or fruit vaccines to combat
Hepatitis B
London, Feb 15 : Edible vaccines in the form of potatoes,
tomatoes or bananas could provide an alternative to
jabs in combating hepatitis B.
Tests of a prototype potato vaccine on a group of
human volunteers yielded "remarkable" results,
said scientists.
The researchers now say governments and health agencies
should consider using edible vaccines to combat the
liver disease that kills an estimated one million
people worldwide each year.
Edible vaccines can have an enormous impact because
they are so easy to administer.
The new research shows that potatoes genetically
engineered to contain a subunit vaccine against hepatitis
B could be a viable alternative to jabs.
The scientists, led by Charles Arntzen, from the
Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research in Ithaca,
New York, said the results were "remarkable"
in view of the fact that the vaccine was a subunit
type, and derived from a "non-enteric" pathogen
- a harmful agent that does not target the stomach
or gut.
"The demonstrated success of this prototype
study of oral immunisation for HBV with an orally
administered subunit vaccine provides a strategy to
solve a global problem," the researchers say.
"We believe that the data presented here provide
compelling evidence that orally delivered subunit
vaccines can provide a useful component in a programme
of prophylaxis (preventative treatment) against non-enteric
and enteric diseases," they added. (ANI)
|
