Morgan BellAttack of the killer tomatoes cures HIV
June 29th 2006 11:18
Virus killing tomatoes to the rescue!
The soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens shuttles a synthetic combination of HIV and hepatitis B DNA fragments into the tomato plants, which then manufacture the proteins. When the tomatoes are eaten, these proteins prompt the body to create antibodies against the viruses.
Mice fed a solution containing the tomatoes in powdered form developed high levels of antibodies to both viruses, in their blood as well as on mucosal surfaces, where the viruses can gain entry to the body through sexual contact.
The genetically modified tomatoes will be an affordable vaccine for HIV and the hepatitis B virus that could be easily grown and processed in the countries where they are most needed
"You wouldn't have to refrigerate the vaccine, and you wouldn't need to inject it with needles, which pose an infection risk," said researcher Rose Hammond of the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Maryland. These would be big advantages in poorer countries.
"If an oral vaccine worked out, it would probably be inexpensive and relatively easy to make and administer," said Pat Fast, at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative in New York. However, she added, an ideal vaccine would trigger production of protective T-cells as well as antibodies.
(image from flickr.com)
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