GM Potato carries vaccine for Hep B

16/02/05 Researchers have found a way to grow potatoes that carry a vaccine for hepatitis B, providing doctors in the developing world with an easily produced, non-refrigerated means of supplying protection against the virus.

Using genetically modified plants, lead researcher Charles J. Arntzen, co-director of the Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, said he and his colleagues hope to increase hepatitis B immunization rates around the world.

In their experiment, Arntzen's team genetically modified ordinary potatoes to carry the gene for hepatitis B surface antigen. These potatoes were then cloned and cultivated. The researchers then tested the vaccine on 42 volunteers. Of these, about 60 percent had signs of immunity against hepatitis B after eating bite-sized pieces of the modified raw potato.

The report appears in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The problem with the current hepatitis B vaccine is that only 40 percent of the children around the world receive it, Arntzen said.

Arntzen's next step is to convert the plant material, either potato or other vegetable, such as tomatoes, into something that looks like a traditional pill.

He believes that by using accurate doses, doctors in the field will achieve more than a 60 percent response.

The process is still being tested in animals, but Arntzen hopes to begin human trials in the foreseeable future. He hopes this method can be used for both primary and booster vaccinations.

According to the Arizona researcher, plant-based delivery might also work with other vaccines, such as those for measles and cholera.

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