Edible vaccines are food products that contain antigenic fragments of specific pathogens, evoking immunity in the consumer
- Antigenic determinants for a specific pathogen are introduced into plant tissue (e.g. via Agrobacterium tumefaciens vectors)
- The transgenic tissues are selected and cultured to produce new plants that produce the antigenic fragments
- When consumed, the body will respond to the presence of the antigens by producing specific memory cells
- These memory cells will safeguard the body against future infection from the pathogen (immunity)
Edible vaccines are not currently as effective as normal vaccines as they are consumed and not injected into the blood
- In order to elicit an immune response, the fragments must survive the digestive process and be absorbed into the blood
Development of Edible Vaccines
