Farm to Pharmacy

Tobacco may soon shed its negative image by becoming a pharmaceutical factory. The disorganised blobs of tissue pictured, known as callus, will grow into genetically modified tobacco plants that can produce a therapeutic anti-HIV antibody. Molecular farming (also known as ‘pharming’) involves genetically modifying plants to produce medically useful proteins like antibodies, vaccines and hormones. Tobacco is ideal for pharming as it’s easy to grow and harvest, and as a non-food plant, there’s no chance of gene transfer into the food chain. The first small-scale clinical trials of the tobacco HIV antibody have shown it’s safe, and further testing will establish if it’s effective. ‘Plantibodies’ could revolutionise medical treatment, reducing costs dramatically, but concerns over the safety and ethics of large-scale production have slowed progress. If these trials are successful, perhaps greenhouses will become the drugs factories of the future.

Written by Sarah McLusky

Sarah McLusky

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Sarah McLusky is a freelance science education consultant. Her work varies from writing resources and managing science fairs to making rockets. Sarah used to be a ‘proper’ scientist and has a PhD in Plant Biochemistry.

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• Originally published under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 3.0, Igge)