This document discusses the production of therapeutic proteins in plants. Therapeutic proteins are engineered proteins used for pharmaceutical purposes to treat diseases. Plants can be genetically modified to produce these proteins through nuclear or plastid transformation or transient expression. Examples of therapeutic proteins produced in plants include monoclonal antibodies in corn, HIV-suppressing proteins in spinach, and vaccines for hepatitis B in potato. While plant-based production has cost advantages over traditional methods, there are also bio-safety concerns regarding environmental contamination and food supply contamination that must be addressed.

1. Production of therapeutic
proteins in plants

2. Therapeutic proteins
• Proteins which are engineered in the
laboratory for pharmaceutical use are
referred to as therapeutic proteins .
• Proteins which are absent or low in
individuals with an illness such as Cancer,
Infectious diseases, Hemophilia, Anemia,
Multiple sclerosis, Hepatitis B/C etc. are
artificially synthesized on large scale through
genetically modified host cells and delivered.

3. Therapeutic proteins
• This therapeutic approach in treating diseases
using proteins and peptides is termed protein
therapeutics.
• Introduced in 1920’s Human insulin is
considered to be the first therapeutic protein

6. Gene transfer method

7. Partical bombardment

8. Plant gene expression strategies
1. Stable nuclear
transformation
2. Plastid
transformation
3. Transient
transformation

9. Nuclear transformation

15. Monoclonal Antibodies

18. Plantibodies
• Plantibodies - monoclonal antibodies
produced in plants
• Plants used include tobacco, corn, potatoes,
soy, alfalfa, and rice
• Examples: cancer, dental caries, herpes
simplex virus, respiratory syncytial virus –
• **GE Corn can produce up to 1 kg
antibody/acre and can be stored at RT for up
to 5 years. Curr Opin Drug Discover Dev 2010

24. Examples of edible vaccines under
development:
• pig vaccine in corn
• HIV-suppressing protein in spinach
• human vaccine for hepatitis B in potato

25. Products on the market
Avidin by Sigma
• transgenic corn
• traditionally isolated from chicken egg whites
• used in medical diagnostics
GUS (β-glycuronidase) by Sigma
• transgenic corn
• traditionally isolated from bacterial sources (E.Coli)
• used as visual marker in research labs
Trypsin by Sigma
• transgenic corn
• traditionally isolated from bovine pancreas
• variety of applications, including biopharmaceutical processing
• first large scale transgenic plant product
• Worldwide market = US$280 million in 2014 .

26. Using plant systems
Advantages
• Cost reduction
- low/no inputs
- low capital cost
• Stability
- storage
• Safety
- eukaroytic production system
- free of animal viruses (e.g. BSE)

27. Disadvantages
• Environment contamination
- gene flow
- wildlife exposure
• Food supply contamination
- mistaken/intentional mixing w/human food
• Health safety concerns
- Variable, case-specific

28. Bio-safety issues