According to foreign media reports on January 2, scientists at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) are studying the transformation of edible plants such as spinach and lettuce into "vaccine factories". Currently, the research project has received $500,000 in funding from the National Science Foundation. If this new project is successfully completed, future vaccinations may not be given in the arm, but through eating plants, which looks like "eating salad" orally.
Researchers say that future mRNA vaccines may be injected into the human body by "eating salads."
As the first two covid-19 vaccines approved in the United States, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the Modena vaccine are both messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines. The mRNA in such vaccines triggers an immune response in the body by teaching human cells how to replicate spike proteins on the surface of the new coronavirus. Currently, in order to maintain stability during transport and storage, mRNA vaccines need to remain low or degrade. This feature adds to the complexity and challenge of mRNA vaccine distribution. If the new technology is successful, the plant-based edible vaccine could be stored at room temperature.
The mRNA vaccine triggers an immune response in the body by teaching human cells how to replicate spike proteins on the surface of the new coronavirus.
The researchers say the study aims to achieve three goals: first, to prove that the DNA of the mRNA vaccine can be successfully delivered to plant cells for replication; second, mRNA is a single-stranded ribonucleic acid that is transcribed from DNA that guides protein synthesis, so it needs to be proved that plants can produce enough mRNA to compete with traditional injectable vaccines; and finally, the appropriate dose needs to be determined.
"Ideally, one plant would produce enough mRNA to vaccinate a person." Giraldo, an associate professor in UCR's Department of Plant Sciences, is leading the study and collaborating with scientists from the University of California, San Diego and Carnegie Mellon University. He added, "We are testing this technology with spinach and lettuce, with the long-term goal of getting people to grow this type of plant in their own gardens." ”
Chloroplasts in plant cells express green fluorescent proteins, which convert sunlight into energy that plants can use
According to Giraldo, the key to this technology is the chloroplasts in plant cells, which convert sunlight into energy that plants can use, "they are not only small solar factories that can produce sugars and other molecules that allow plants to grow." At the same time, they are an untapped source for making ideal molecules. Giraldo and his team have previously used nanotechnology to deliver foreign genetic material to chloroplasts, and have shown that chloroplasts may express genes that are not natural parts of plants.
Steinmetz, a professor of nanoengineering at the University of California, San Diego, co-authors of the study, said: "Our idea is to reuse naturally occurring nanoparticles, the plant virus, to pass genes on to plants. Not only does this nanoparticle allow it to enter the chloroplast, but it also makes it non-infectious to plants. It is reported that the delivery of such directional nanomaterials does not require the help of machinery, and the nano preparations can be dripped on the surface of plant leaves.
Red Star News reporter Wang Yalin Intern reporter Hu Yiling
Edited by Guo Yu
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