Scientists Growing mRNA Vaccine-Filled Plants
I love vegetables. Prepared properly, they’re delicious – and healthy. In the near future, they could become even healthier! A team of scientists is working on a way to make your leafy green salad a new cutting-edge COVID vaccine delivery system. No kidding.
The National Science Foundation awarded a $500,000 grant to researchers from UC-San Diego and Carnegie Mellon University to try to successfully inject DNA containing mRNA vaccines into plant cells, where they can replicate and be harvested as “edible vaccines.”
Messenger RNA or mRNA technology, used in COVID-19 vaccines, works by teaching our cells to recognize and protect us against infectious diseases. The goal is to have a single plant produce enough mRNA to vaccinate a single person. This approach is being tested with spinach and lettuce, with the long-term goal of people growing it in their own gardens. Farmers could also eventually grow entire fields of it!
Nanotechnology is the key
A team from the University of California Riverside is using nanotechnology to manipulate chloroplasts, the small organs inside plant cells which help convert sunlight into energy, to incubate mRNA vaccine product particles. Chloroplasts have been described as tiny, solar-powered factories that produce sugar and other molecules that allow the plant to grow. But according to this team, they’re also an untapped source that, when applied to plants, will create new technology solutions, not just for food, but for high-value products like pharmaceuticals.
The idea is to repurpose naturally occurring nanoparticles, namely plant viruses, for gene delivery to plants. Some engineering goes into this to make the nanoparticles go to the chloroplasts and also to render them non-infectious toward the plants.
No refrigeration required
One of the challenges with needle-delivered vaccines is that they must be kept cold to maintain stability during transport and storage. If this new project is successful, plant-based mRNA vaccines – which can be eaten – could overcome this challenge because they’ll be able to be stored at room temperature.
The project has three specific goals:
Showing that DNA containing the mRNA vaccines can be successfully delivered into the part of plant cells where it will replicate.
Demonstrating that plants can produce enough mRNA to rival a traditional shot.
Determining the right dosage.
An additional benefit
A related project is underway using nanomaterials to deliver nitrogen, a fertilizer, directly to chloroplasts, where plants need it most.
Nitrogen is limited in the environment, but plants need it to grow. Most farmers apply nitrogen to the soil. As a result, roughly half of it ends up in groundwater, contaminating waterways, causing algae blooms, and interacting with other organisms. It also produces nitrous oxide, another pollutant.
This alternative approach would get nitrogen into the chloroplasts through the leaves and control its release, a much more efficient mode of application that could help farmers and improve the environment.
So, the next time you encounter a roasted Brussels sprout, or a spinach salad, think about how enjoyable your next vaccine “shot” might be! Stay well!