Vaccini eduli / Edible vaccins

Through the centuries plants proved to be extremely flexible organisms that adjust to man's requirements both for agricultural and ornamental purposes. About twenty years ago early studies on the recombinant DNA method also found the possibility of introducing and express in a plant tissue genes, not only deriving from different plant species, but also of bacterial or animal origin. Early studies focused on improving plants' defence against pathogens and infesting organisms, by introducing resistance genes isolated from bacteria, fungi or other plants. Later on the possibility was envisaged of using plants as bioreactors to produce molecules for health purposes, as antigens, antibodies or proteins with pharmacological function. The possibility of producing plant derived vaccines aroused great interest also in the veterinary field, in particular for livestock and cattle, considering the social and economic implications related to their health. The possibility of directly providing these animals with pharmaceuticals in the form of food would greatly simplify drug administration. Research progress in this field is reported, covering the last ten years, with reference to the different methods for plant genetic modification. Two research lines are described that are under progress at the Department of Biology (University of Milano, Italy): the first for the production of a vaccine against human melanoma, in collaboration with Pasteur Institute (Paris, France), and the second for the production of veterinary vaccines, in collaboration with the Faculty of Veterinary (University of Milano, Italy).