Tobacco-Derived Antibodies Against West Nile Virus

Filed in archive Drugs, Vaccines and Therapeutics on January 31, 2010

Scientists have successfully produced antibodies against the West Nile virus in tobacco plants. The plant-derived antibodies have been shown to be as effective as those derived from mammalian cell lines.

The therapeutic, according to the authors, is effective in very small dosages, (50-200 micrograms), and only one dose is required to clear the virus from an infected individual's system.

Aside from being more cost effective, plant-based production of pharmaceutical substances are possibly safer, eliminating risks of harboring animal pathogens such as viruses or infectious protein agents known as prions, not found in plants. In addition the authors say "plant-based antibodies lack the capacity to bind with a critical receptor implicated in the antibody dependent enhancement effect, making them potentially safer for use."

This study appears in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (advanced online edition).

Source