Health experts have said that vaccination can be quite a tricky subject for many people. They have said that there are many people who are scared of injections and have needle phobia. Now, scientists from the University of California might be able to replace shots with a salad. A team of experts from the University of California Riverside has been working on a method to cultivate edible plants that contain the same composition of drugs as an mRNA shot. The COVID19 shot is one of the many vaccines that use mRNA technology to fight against viruses. These vaccines train the immune cells to identify and attack foreign invaders. However, these mRNA shots need to be stored in cold storage before their usage. These vaccines require particular medical equipment such as needles and syringes as well for their administration. Many people are hesitant to take vaccines as they have severe needle phobia. Now experts are trying to convert edible plants such as spinach and lettuce into mRNA shots that can be easily harvested. The new project will focus on three key objectives. First, health experts who have been involved in the project will show that DNA carrying mRNA shots can be effectively incorporated into plant cells. The project will reveal that plants are able to replicate sufficient mRNA to existing injection techniques. The new project will also determine the correct doses for such edible plant-based mRNA shots. The lead scientist of the project, Dr. Juan Pablo Giraldo has said that preferably, a single plant will be able to produce sufficient mRNA to immunize an individual. Dr. Juan Pablo Giraldo is working as an associate lecturer in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences at the University of California Riverside. He has said that he is going ahead with this new approach using spinach and lettuce initially.
The team of experts expects that in the future people will be able to cultivate these plants carrying mRNA shots in their own gardens. As per the scientists, farmers will be able to cultivate entire fields of such mRNA edible plants eventually. Dr. Juan Pablo Giraldo has informed that chloroplasts have played a vital role in launching mRNA vaccines into plants. Chloroplasts are known as small organs in plant cells that are very important for photosynthesis. The lead author of the study has said that chloroplasts are considered as little factories that are powered by solar energy. These factories generate sugar and other molecules that help plants to develop. Chloroplasts are an untouched source for producing advantageous molecules for plants. Many past studies that have been done by Dr. Juan Pablo Giraldo have shown that chloroplasts are able to articulate genes that are not part of the plant naturally. Dr. Giraldo has said that it has been possible after experts have injected foreign genetic material inside a protecting casing into plant cells. As per the latest report, there is another research of the same kind on developing an edible COVID19 shot that is being conducted. An assistant professor from the University of Ottawa’s Department of Biology, Dr. Allyson MacLean along with his team has been trying to develop an alternative way of vaccination against the pathogen for more than a year now.
The lead researcher of the Ottawa study, Dr. Allyson MacLean has said that he has been working on an approach that entails the expression of viral antigens in plants that are edible such as spinach or lettuce. He has informed that the experiment with the vaccine has already started as a part of an alliance with the Ottawa Hospital. Health experts have said that mRNA technology that has been used in some conventional COVID19 shots provides genetic instructions to human cells and prompts human cells for producing antibodies against a specific virus or disease. Experts have said that the requirement for cold storage and maintaining stability during transport are some key challenges linked to these conventional or needle-based mRNA COVID19 shots. Experts have said that if the project from the University of California Riverside is successful; people will need to consume an edible mRNA shot to be vaccinated. Experts will be able to store this edible mRNA vaccine at room temperature. Dr. Juan Pablo Giraldo has said that scientists are quite hopeful about this project. He has said that if his team is able to discover an edible mRNA vaccine, it will definitely change people’s lives. There are many countries in the world that are still waiting for COVID19 vaccines to immunize their populations. On the other hand, some high-income countries have already started giving out booster shots to their citizens. There is a huge disparity that exists in COVID19 vaccine distribution around the world. Experts hope that with the new edible mRNA vaccine, they will be able to bridge the gap between rich and poor countries across the globe in terms of accessing the COVID19 vaccine and distribution.
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