Scientists Modify Plants to Produce Anticancer Antibodies

Scientists at Jefferson Medical College have inserted DNA coding into tobacco plants that causes the plants to produce monoclonal antibodies against colorectal cancer. After demonstrating that modified tobacco could generate antibodies that were shown to be effective against rabies in mice, the researchers turned their attention to developing a cancer treatment.

Monoclonal antibodies from mice have been used to treat human colorectal cancer in certain cases, but the technology to produce them is very expensive. Using Tobacco plants to produce the treatment should prove to be much less costly and safer. The plant-generated antibodies were tested against human cancer cells in mice. The effectiveness of the treatment was similar to treatment using animal-made antibodies.

Link: Jefferson Scientists Create Plant Factories Churning Out Antibodies Against Tumor Cells a news release from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 4:00 PM on June 7, 2005