Covid-19 vaccines developed by using plant-based technology may be the answer to the vaccine shortage.
Covid-19 vaccines developed by using plant-based technology may be the answer to the vaccine shortage the world is experiencing. Plant-based vaccines may be faster to make, cheaper, and safer than vaccines tested in animals, as well as creating higher levels of antigens and being more effective on the immune system, according to recent scientific reports.
One of these vaccines, developed by Canadian biopharmaceutical company Medicago, uses Nicotiana benthamiana tobacco plants. Medicago’s vaccine is in phase three of clinical trials, the final step before Health Canada approves it, with more than 30,000 people taking part.
British American Tobacco’s Covid-19 vaccine also uses Nicotiana benthamiana plants. BAT scientists copied a portion of the Covid-19 virus and inserted that into the plants for rapid reproduction. After harvesting, the virus particle is extracted and attached to a nanoparticle which acts as the carrier to form antigens from the vaccine that stimulates the body’s immune response. BAT’s proprietary technology allows for rapid production of the vaccine’s active ingredients in approximately six weeks, rather than several months with conventional methods. BAT’s vaccine is in the phase one first-time-in-human trial following approval of its Investigational new drug application by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Another potential Covid vaccine being developed by Thai pharmaceutical startup Baiya Phytopharm, together with the Faculty of Pharmacy at Chulalongkorn University, one of Thailand’s top universities uses a similar method as Medicago and BAT. The Chula-Baiya vaccine plans to start phase one human trials this month, aiming to introduce the vaccine for use by Q3 2022.