Edible vaccines are plant- or animal-based vaccines that are ingested rather than injected. They were first developed in the 1990s as a cheaper alternative that doesn't require cold storage. Some early examples included transgenic potatoes and tomatoes that delivered antigens for E. coli and norovirus when eaten. Edible vaccines have advantages like low cost, easy delivery through eating, and no need for cold storage. However, they also have disadvantages like inconsistent dosage between plants and potential allergic reactions. The document discusses applications for edible malaria and hepatitis B vaccines and limitations like immune tolerance and stability.

1. FOOD AS VACCINE
CHILKUR BALAJI COLLEGE OF PHARMACY
PRESENTED BY
KONATHAM TEJA KUMAR
REDDY
13GD1ROO23

2. INTRODUCTION
 In the last decade, advancements in the field of medicine and
healthcare have been possible because of the development of
newer, safer and highly effective vaccines; recombinant
vaccines, subunit vaccines, peptide vaccines and DNA vaccines
to name a few. Although these vaccines have an undue
advantage over traditional conventional vaccines, there is a flip
side to them.

3. DEFINITION
 Edible vaccines are nothing but transgenic plant and animal
based production of or those that contain agents that trigger an
animal’s immune response. In simple terms, edible vaccines are
plant or animal made pharmaceuticals. This essay highlights
the importance of edible vaccines produced in plants

4. INITIAL DEVELOPMENTS IN DESIGNING THE EDIBLE
VACCINES:
 The concept of edible vaccines was developed by Arntzen in the 1990s. He
currently heads the department of plant biology at the Arizona State
University. He fell upon the idea after he attended a conference in New
York, organized by the WHO.
EXAMPLES OF SOME EDIBLE VACCINES:
Transgenic Potatoes For Diarrhea
 The first human trial for an edible vaccine took place in 1997.
Volunteers ate transgenic potatoes that contained the b-subunit
of the E. coli heat-labile toxin, which causes diarrhea. Ten of
the 11 volunteers showed a 4-fold increase in serum antibodies

5. Transgenic Tomatoes Against Diarrhea:
 In the US at the Cornell University, researchers have
developed transgenic tomatoes against the Norwalk virus,
which causes severe diarrhea. The tomatoes produced a surface
protein specific to the virus. Mice that ate these tomatoes
developed an immune response to the virus.[7] Recently,
banana has been explored as an alternative source because not
only does it eliminate the need for cooking but also it’s a
locally grown plant.

6. ADVANTAGES OF EDIBLE
VACCINES
1. They are cheap; therefore they can be mass-produced.
2. They can be ingested by eating the plant/part of the plant. So,
the need to process and purify does not arise.
3. Extensive storage facilities like cold storage are not required.

7. DISADVANTAGES OF EDIBLE
VACCINES
1. Plants are living organisms that change, so the continuity of
the vaccine production might not be guaranteed.
2. Glycosylation patterns in plants differ from those in humans
and could affect the functionality of the vaccines.
3. People may develop an allergy to the fruit or vegetable
expressing the foreign antigen

8. Applications of Edible Vaccines:
 (a) Malaria:
Malaria remains one of the most significant causes of human
morbidity and mortality worldwide, with 300 to 500 million new cases
of infection annually resulting in 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths. Three an-
tigens are currently being investigated for the development of a plant-
based malaria vaccine, merozoite surface protein (MSP) 4 and MSP 5
from Plasmodium falciparum, and MSP 4/5 from P. yoelli.
 (b) Hepatitis B:
The hepatitis B virus is estimated to have infected 400 million people
throughout the globe, making it one of the most common human
pathogens. The hepatitis B surface antigen (HBS Ag) is used as a
vaccine against Hepatitis B.

9. Limitations of Edible Vaccines:
 Development of immuno tolerance to vaccine peptide or
protein.
 Consistency of dosage form fruit to fruit, plant to plant,
and generation-to-generation is not similar.
 Stability of vaccine in fruit is not known.
 Evaluating dosage requirement is tedious.
 Selection of best plant is difficult.

12.  Vaccines must be stored properly from the time they are
manufactured until they are administered. Assuring vaccine
quality and maintaining the cold chain is a shared responsi-
bility among manufacturers, distributors, public health
staff, and health-care providers. A proper cold chain is a
temperature-controlled supply chain that includes all
equipment and procedures used in the transport and storage
and handling of vaccines from the time of manufacture to
administration of the vaccine.

13. Vaccine Storage and Handling Plans
 Develop and maintain written ROUTINE plan for:
ordering and accepting vaccine deliveries
 storing and handling vaccines
 managing inventory
 managing potentially compromised vaccines

14. Receiving and Unpacking Vaccine
Deliveries
 Proper vaccine storage and handling is important from the
moment the vaccine arrives at the facility. All office staff
should be trained to notify the vaccine coordinator or the
alternate (back-up) coordinator when a vaccine delivery has
arrived.
 Vaccine Deliveries
 Notify vaccine coordinator or alternate (back-up)
coordinator when delivery arrives Examine vaccine
deliveries container
 contents
 shipping temperature monitors/indicators

15. Vaccine Preparation
 Most vaccines are supplied in single-dose vials or manufac-
turer-filled syringes. These preparations do not contain a
bacteriostatic (preservative) agent. Once a single-dose vial
is opened, meaning that the protective cap has been
removed, it should be discarded at the end of the workday
if not used.
 community influenza clinics. These syringes are designed
for both storage and administration.
 Once the protective cap is removed, vaccine in single-dose vial
should be used or discarded at end of work day Do not predraw
vaccine increases risk for administration errors
 wasted vaccine
 possible bacterial growth in vaccines that do not contain a
preservative
 administration syringes not designed for storage

16. CONCLUSION
The first trial on humans in 1997 (using the heat labile
B- toxin from E. coli) is a milestone on the road to creating
inexpensive vaccines that might be particularly useful in
immunizing people in developing countries, where high cost
and logistical issues, such as transportation and the need for
certain vaccines to be refrigerated, can thwart effective
vaccination programs.

17. REFERANCE
 Ball JM, Hardy MK, Conner ME, Opekun AA, Graham DY
(1996) Recombinant Norwalk virus-like particles as an oral
vaccine.
 Brandtzaeg P (1995) Basic mechanisms of mucosal immunity
— a major adaptive defense system. Immunologist 3: 89 – 96.
 Chen Y, Inobe J, Marks R, Gonnella P, Kuchroo VK, Weiner-
HL (1995) Peripheral deletion of antigen-reactive T cells in
oral tolerance. Nature 376: