with the pathogen from which the epitope was derived (Rybicki 2014; Kushnir et al.
2012). At the same time, fusions with plant-derived proteins or only plant-typical
sequences were found to improve the immunogenicity of antigens for vaccination
against tumours (Massa et al. 2011, 2017).
The evolution of molecular techniques has led to the development of systems
like the Gateway-mediated cloning (reviewed by Dafny-Yelin and Tzfira 2007),
Golden Gate (Binder et al. 2014) and GoldenBraid (Sarrion-Perdigones et al. 2011)
just to name a few, thanks to which even the assembly of multi-modular constructs
for the expression of multiple proteins or enzymes in plants is now possible.
Beside proteins for pharmacological use, also plant-made industrial products
(PMIPs) have been produced, such as enzymes, proteins for research use, nutritional
supplements, polymers, etc. (Davies 2010; Tschofen et al. 2016).
Unlike mammalian cell-derived drugs, plant-derived antibodies, vaccines
and other pharmacologically relevant proteins are particularly advantageous in
that they are free from mammalian viral vectors and/or human pathogens. Advantages offered by plants may include also low cost of cultivation and high biomass
production, relatively fast “gene-to-protein” time, low investment costs, good
scalability, eukaryotic post-translational modifications and a high protein yield
(Table 1).
The availability of effective technical means of expressing proteins in plants
offers the prospect of using them as bioreactors for the production of cost-effective
pharmaceuticals for both human and animal health sectors.
Over the past four decades, a wealth of literature has demonstrated that
the production of proteins in plants for health applications is a promising approach
in the area of biologics manufacturing. It is hoped that together to what has been
defined in the MIT Technology Review “the biggest biotech discovery of the
century”, the CRISPR technology, new frontiers of biomedical discoveries, ranging
from the pharmaceutical sector to the agro-industry, will be opened and ready for this
“next-generation” plant-based medicine.
In its intent, the present review is thought to make the point on the evident
opportunities that arise from the “Farming for Pharming” of biologics through
plants. If properly addressed, this technology is destined to tackle human and
animal diseases breaking the limits of current standard production technologies of
biopharmaceuticals. This in turn will help reduce disparities in health rights
and guarantee better health protection in the name of the guiding principle of
reduction of costs.
2 The Strategies and the Technological Platforms of Plant
Transformation
The diversity of plant molecular farming systems available reflects the wealth of
possibilities offered by plants. Recombinant proteins have been produced in many
different plant species wherein there is a choice of whole plants or various cell/tissue
Engineering Plants for the Future: Farming with Value-Added Harvest
67
2012). At the same time, fusions with plant-derived proteins or only plant-typical
sequences were found to improve the immunogenicity of antigens for vaccination
against tumours (Massa et al. 2011, 2017).
The evolution of molecular techniques has led to the development of systems
like the Gateway-mediated cloning (reviewed by Dafny-Yelin and Tzfira 2007),
Golden Gate (Binder et al. 2014) and GoldenBraid (Sarrion-Perdigones et al. 2011)
just to name a few, thanks to which even the assembly of multi-modular constructs
for the expression of multiple proteins or enzymes in plants is now possible.
Beside proteins for pharmacological use, also plant-made industrial products
(PMIPs) have been produced, such as enzymes, proteins for research use, nutritional
supplements, polymers, etc. (Davies 2010; Tschofen et al. 2016).
Unlike mammalian cell-derived drugs, plant-derived antibodies, vaccines
and other pharmacologically relevant proteins are particularly advantageous in
that they are free from mammalian viral vectors and/or human pathogens. Advantages offered by plants may include also low cost of cultivation and high biomass
production, relatively fast “gene-to-protein” time, low investment costs, good
scalability, eukaryotic post-translational modifications and a high protein yield
(Table 1).
The availability of effective technical means of expressing proteins in plants
offers the prospect of using them as bioreactors for the production of cost-effective
pharmaceuticals for both human and animal health sectors.
Over the past four decades, a wealth of literature has demonstrated that
the production of proteins in plants for health applications is a promising approach
in the area of biologics manufacturing. It is hoped that together to what has been
defined in the MIT Technology Review “the biggest biotech discovery of the
century”, the CRISPR technology, new frontiers of biomedical discoveries, ranging
from the pharmaceutical sector to the agro-industry, will be opened and ready for this
“next-generation” plant-based medicine.
In its intent, the present review is thought to make the point on the evident
opportunities that arise from the “Farming for Pharming” of biologics through
plants. If properly addressed, this technology is destined to tackle human and
animal diseases breaking the limits of current standard production technologies of
biopharmaceuticals. This in turn will help reduce disparities in health rights
and guarantee better health protection in the name of the guiding principle of
reduction of costs.
2 The Strategies and the Technological Platforms of Plant
Transformation
The diversity of plant molecular farming systems available reflects the wealth of
possibilities offered by plants. Recombinant proteins have been produced in many
different plant species wherein there is a choice of whole plants or various cell/tissue
Engineering Plants for the Future: Farming with Value-Added Harvest
67