Dow Chemical to Make Vaccines from GE Plants

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TITLE: Dow Chemical to Make Vaccines from Genetically Engineered

Plants

SOURCE: The Washington Times, USA

http://www.pharmacytimes.com/printerfriendly_newsfeed.cfm?ID=7852

DATE: Jan 15, 2004 Dow Chemical to Make Vaccines from Genetically

Engineered Plants

 

Jan. 15--

Dow Chemical Co. yesterday announced a four-year, $5.7 million

research agreement with the National Institutes of Health to develop

vaccines from genetically engineered plants.

 

The agreement follows NIH requests for new vaccine technologies

against infectious diseases, including biological weapons.

 

Plant-based vaccines are cheaper and easier to produce than existing

vaccines, Dow officials said. The plant-based vaccines could be

used for nearly any disease.

 

" This can be used in any situation in which there is a need to

develop a vaccine quickly and vaccinate large numbers of people, "

said Dow spokeswoman Adrianne Proctor.

 

NIH is funding the project and Dow is managing it, which includes

subcontracting some of the work to the University of Maryland.

 

Dow intends to develop vaccines from proteins produced on the leaves

of greenhouse-grown plants. The proteins stimulate an immune

response in the human body that blocks the development of disease.

 

Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology in Newark, Del.,

is a subcontractor providing Dow with " plant viral particle " systems

for the vaccines.

 

The systems avoid the traditional vaccine process of fermenting

bacteria in sterile vats by growing the genetically engineered

proteins on plants.

 

" The technology is extremely important because it allows patients

access to a variety of drugs and makes them more accessible, " said

Lisa Dry, spokeswoman for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, a

trade group for biotechnology companies. " Plants are such efficient

producers of proteins that it lowers the cost of entry for the drug

companies. "

 

Drug companies often spend $500 million to $700 million to build new

vaccine-fermentation facilities, which can take five to seven years

before they start operating, she said.

 

Genetically engineered plants eliminate the need for fermentation

and reduce costs by about 50 percent.

 

" We anticipate that our plant technology will cut production time to

three or four months, reduce cost, and produce effective and safe

vaccines that can be delivered by capsule or nasal spray, " said

Carolyn Fritz, Dow's business director for industrial

biotechnology. " This would be a big improvement over existing

technology. "

 

The University of Maryland is supposed to screen the vaccines to

ensure they work properly before clinical testing with humans.

 

University of Maryland officials said the pre-clinical tests they do

would depend on the type of vaccine being developed.

 

Fraunhofer USA officials said vaccines produced from plants are

safer to develop than vaccines developed in eggs or other animal

hosts.

 

" This plant-based vaccine system will reduce the risk of

contamination by animal pathogens, " said Barry Marrs, Fraunhofer USA

executive director.

" We have seen excellent results in preliminary animal testing. "

 

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