Biopharmaceuticals in Plants

Designed as a basic multidisciplinary reference for researchers, this book discusses plant transformation techniques, generation of transgenic plants, engineering of plant viruses to produce vaccine proteins or peptides, risk analysis, and future applications. It addresses the basis of mucosal immunity using plant-based oral vaccines, organelle targeting for vaccine production, and the role of glycosylation in plant-made mammalian proteins. It also considers vaccine production in entire crops or in large batch cell suspension cultures as well as the construction of clinical trials.

Kathleen Laura Hefferon achieved her Ph.D. at the University of Toronto. She most recently held the title of Director of Operations of the Human Metabolic Research Unit in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University. She also acts as a science writer for the Center for Hepatitis C Research at Rockefeller University in New York City and as an expert selector for the Infection and Immunity Division of the Medical Research Council, in London.

History of Plants in Production of Biopharmaceuticals. Transgenic Plants Expressing Vaccine and Therapeutic Proteins. Chloroplast Engineering and Production of Biopharmaceuticals. Plant Viral Expression Vectors and Production of Biopharmaceuticals in Plants. Glycosylation of Therapeutic Proteins in Plants. Scale-Up of Plant-Derived Pharmaceuticals: Prospects for Commercial Production and for Global Health. The Immune Response to Plant-Derived Pharmaceuticals. Risk Analysis and Safety of Plant-Made Biopharmaceuticals. Epilogue: The Future. Index.