Vaccines from Bananas

Bananas

What is it?
Farms could soon replace factories for production of some drugs. Already in the works are potatoes that contain a drug for liver cirrhosis; rice that fights cystic fibrosis; and tomatoes that produce an anti-hypertension drug. For vaccines, the plant of choice may be bananas. The fruit could be blended into purée, packaged in small jars and tested for dosage. Plant-derived vaccines for hepatitis B and the Norwalk stomach virus have already been tested and could be on the market in this decade, with vaccines against hepatitis, cholera, rabies, malaria and influenza close behind.

Pros and Cons
Supporters note that producing pharmaceuticals in transgenic plants would be much cheaper than current methods. Plants cannot carry human diseases, so the drugs may be purer and safer than those derived from people or animals. Some drugs could potentially be stored and transported in dried seeds or fruit. And some plants could even release medicines in dew, which could be harvested simply by shaking the plant.

But critics say that pharmaceutical plants could potentially release large quantities of drugs into the environment, where they could be eaten by animals or accumulate in the water supply, soil and other plants. Drugs could even end up in the human food supply—either from accidental mixing of plant products or from pollen drifting into nearby fields and cross-breeding with other crops.

Modified for Medicine

Pigs
Every year in the United States alone, 6,000 people die awaiting organ transplants. Some say the organ shortage could eventually be solved by giving people hearts, kidneys and livers from pigs. To prevent rejection of pig organ transplants, researchers have altered the genes in pig DNA that prompt the human immune system to recognize these organs as foreign. But pig DNA contains viruses that could adapt and spread into humans, so researchers are proceeding with caution.

Goats
Goats are now being used to produce valuable anti-clotting drugs—in their milk. By inserting a human gene into goat DNA, researchers have cloned goats that are living drug factories. A similar process could create cows, sheep and goats that produce other drugs in their milk, including treatments for clogged arteries, Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Critics complain that a granting a single company patent rights to the entire process will restrict beneficial research.

Tobacco

Tobacco
Sugar does not rot your teeth directly—the damage is done by bacteria that eat sugar. Your immune system fights bacteria by creating antibodies. Now, scientists have genetically engineered tobacco plants to produce antibodies against Streptococcus mutans, the bacteria that causes 95% of tooth decay. When painted on people's teeth in clinical trials, this vaccine protected people from cavities for several months. It could be available by 2005.

Mosquitoe

Mosquitoes
Each year up to 500 million people are infected with malaria parasites carried by mosquitoes. Now some scientists plan to genetically engineer mosquitoes that are incapable of carrying the malaria parasite; these could replace or breed with existing mosquitoes. But some note that the malaria parasite will continue to adapt, while others fear that the new mosquitoes could carry viruses that other mosquitoes can't. Critics argue for cheaper, effective methods like nets and sprays.

Who Will Benefit?

Reaching the Right Audience
Genetically modifying plants and animals will benefit everyone, supporters say, by reducing the cost of pharmaceuticals, foods and other crops. Vaccines could be distributed in developing countries as food, eliminating many barriers to life-saving medicines. And GMOs could increase yields and improve nutrition around the world.

But critics claim that GMOs will not benefit the poor. They assert that the high cost of developing and testing new products means that genetically modified crops will cost more than conventional ones. Critics also contend that manufacturers will inevitably ignore the needs of the poor by focusing their efforts on products that bring a high price. Expensive new medicines and food could simply increase the gap in medical care and nutrition between rich and poor nations.

Patents and Ownership
Even when public money is spent to develop products specifically to help the poor, patent laws can restrict their use. Whether or not U.S. and European patent laws should apply to foreign countries is already a hotly contested topic. The issue of intellectual property rights will become even more pressing when all it takes to produce high-tech pharmaceuticals and large volumes of nutritious foods is a handful of seeds.