Pharming is a term that originates from the words, “farming” and “pharmaceuticals.” Pharming uses basic agriculture combined with advanced biotechnology to develop plants that are essentially “factories” for growing vaccines, proteins, and antibodies that can be used for cancer treatments. Pharming with plants involves altering the plants DNA by adding genes that will make the plant produce a specific chemical. Most plants engineered to produce these chemicals deposit the proteins in the seeds because seeds naturally have high concentrations of proteins. The leaves of some plants are also used to produce vaccines. Researchers have used the tobacco plant to grow personalized cancer vaccines. Every person’s cancer has different antibodies, so this is why a universal vaccine won’t work. They found that by taking antibodies from a patient’s tumor and putting that into a modified tobacco plant, the plant then produces a large amount of antibodies. Then the researchers were able to grind up the plant leaves and purify the antibodies. Only a few plants were needed for each patient they tried this method on. No side effects were reported from the plant grown vaccines, and there were indications that plant grown vaccines stimulate the immune system more than those made in animal cells. Growing vaccines in plants can be done quickly and cheaply compared to the traditional way of growing them with mammalian cell cultures. This technology seems to hold a lot of promise. I always believed that plants were more important in our lives than most people make them out to be. This seems like it could be the solution to producing the amount of medicines that are needed. It may also lead to cures for some diseases. What could be a disadvantage to growing our medicines? How will these plants be kept separate from the natural one?
Auch, Ian and Kevin M. Smith. Incredibe Edible Vaccines. Computer Image. Boyce Thompson Institute, New York. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. < http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/07_00/vaccines_trees.shtml >
Digitale, Erin. “Plants can be factories making vaccine to treat cancer.” Stanford. Stanford University, 2008. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. <http://news.stanford.edu/news/2008/july23/med-plants-072308.html>
Byrne, P. “Bio-pharming.” Colorado State. Colorado State University, 2008. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/00307.html>
I am loving this post! I am just blown away at this idea. If they really have no side effects that would be great! I would think there would have to be laws to keep these plants separate. Maybe have them grown in greenhouses only. The downside to growing medicine is that Big pharma would still be in control of our health by controlling our wallets because I am sure they would patent their "product" just like monsanto. We wouldn't be able to grow our own medicine but would still be limited to buy our meds from the worlds most successful "legal" drug dealers (the pharmeceutical companies). I know marijuana is suppose to help with cancer treatments already, you said they used tobacco, what about using marijuana instead? I think that even if the drug companies got a hold of this it is still a good sign in my book. I am hoping people get more in touch with nature and plants and their medicinal values. This seem like a step in the right direction even if it is marketed. I think that some people only do whats "Cool" which is what the media says is "cool" to do. Just like "going green." That idea has been around for awhile but not taken off until marketed. If that is how the people respond, marketing this may help move us further down the road to appreciating the earth and nature! :)
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