Vaccines are traditionally grown in fertilised chicken eggs in a process that takes several months. Now researchers are looking at the plant world as an alternative process route. Andy Sheldon, ceo of Medicago, explains why.
The first avian flu virus to infect humans arose in Hong Kong in 1997; hundreds have since become sick with the virus, and 60% of those who have fallen ill have died. Meanwhile, it took about eight months to deliver the first meaningful doses of H1N1 vaccines to fight the swine flu epidemic that swept the US in 2009, infecting millions of Americans. What was the nature of the delay?
Traditionally, vaccines are grown in egg culture, a process that is time-consuming and expensive. In the case of influenza vaccines – which must be produced every year to adapt to the changing strains of the virus – researchers must guess which strains of influenza to include in the vaccine based on the best information available about what to expect for the autumn and winter flu season.
The production of vaccine starts months ahead of time, so that a sufficient amount of vaccine is available for distribution prior to the start of flu season. If a novel or alternate strain emerges, it is usually too late to incorporate that strain in the vaccine, and as a result many individuals may fall victim to the new strain.
Québec-based Medicago believes a better solution is available. Instead of employing chicken eggs to produce vaccines on a scale of months, plants – such as the tobacco relative Nicotiana benthamiana – can be made to grow large quantities of vaccines on a timescale of as little as three weeks.
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