Tobacco Plants Make Cancer Vaccine

Stanford University researchers have successfully produced antibodies against a specific type of cancer called follicular B cell lymphoma. Antibodies are traditionally produced from animals, however, this was the first human study of an injectable vaccine produced by plants. Ironically, the antibodies were produced by tobacco plants. When injected into humans, these antibodies can trigger the immune system to target cancer cells that are specific to that patient’s tumor, thus allowing the body to better fight the cancer. The advantages of plant-produced antibodies include lower cost, faster production times, and individually tailored vaccines capable to targeting each patient’s specific cancer. More trials to evaluate this method is currently under way.