Scientists are researching ways to deliver DNA containing mRNA vaccines into plant cells, thereby transmitting vaccines into the human body without the need for needles.
A team of experts at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) is exploring how to transform edible plants like lettuce into “mRNA vaccine factories” and create edible vaccines, Jerusalem Post reported on September 18. With a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the project aims to introduce DNA containing mRNA vaccines into plant cells and allow them to multiply, demonstrating that plants can produce enough mRNA to compete with traditional injections, and then determine the appropriate dosage.
In the future, lettuce may help produce vaccines. (Image: Wikimedia Commons).
“The ideal outcome is that one plant will produce enough mRNA to provide a vaccine for one person. We are testing this method on spinach and lettuce with the long-term goal that people can grow them in their home gardens. In the future, farmers could cultivate entire fields of such plants,” said Juan Pablo Giraldo, the lead researcher and professor in the Department of Plant Science at UCR.
A key factor in this method is the chloroplast—a small organelle in plant cells that helps convert sunlight into energy that the plant can use. “They are tiny solar power plants that produce sugars and other molecules, allowing plants to grow. They are also an untapped source that can help create desired molecules,” Giraldo explained.
Previously, Giraldo demonstrated that chloroplasts have the capability to express genes that are not naturally part of the plant. He and his colleagues achieved this by introducing foreign genetic material contained in a protective shell into plant cells.
In the new project, Giraldo is collaborating with Nicole Steinmetz, a professor of nanoengineering at the University of California, San Diego, with the goal of using nanotechnology developed by her team to transport genetic material to the chloroplasts. “Our idea is to leverage natural nanoparticles, specifically plant viruses, to transfer genes into plants. There are several techniques that allow the nanoparticles to reach the chloroplasts while ensuring they do not transmit diseases to the plants,” Steinmetz explained.
If successful, this new research could change the way vaccines are delivered to the human body. This is especially useful as many people are still hesitant about receiving vaccines. In the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy, including towards mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna, may contribute to increased infection rates.
This hesitancy arises not only from concerns about vaccine efficacy or misunderstandings about the virus and vaccine characteristics but also from a fear of needles. According to a study conducted by the University of Oxford on 15,014 adult Britons in June, eliminating the fear of needles could reduce vaccine hesitancy by up to 10%.
