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Rabies Antibodies From Tobacco Plants

Posted by timothy on from the smokin' dept.

Makarand writes "The tobaccco plant has been genetically engineered to produce rabies antibodies. After the DNA coding for the human antibody against rabies was inserted into the plant, rabies antibodies were found in the plant extract. These antibodies were effective in binding to and neutralising the rabies virus in animal tests with no adverse or allergic reactions."

4 of 47 comments (clear)

  1. No surprise by crow · · Score: 3, Interesting

    That's not terribly surprising. I heard years ago that tobacco is one of the easiest plants to genetically alter. That's god news for the growers as their traditional customers become more scarce.

  2. Adverse events by Boglin · · Score: 4, Interesting
    "with no adverse or allergic reactions."
    A good friend of mine did some consulting work on a computer system for a certain multi-national pharmaceutical manufacturer. His tales of what went on there are some of the most depressingly humorous stories I have ever heard (with all the sides (patients, politicians, managers, the FDA, animal rights activists, doctors, researchers) commiting their fair share of the stupidity). What brought this to mind is when he told me about the FDA's requirement that they track all the adverse events caused by the medication, such as headache or dizzyness. The funny part is that Death is not considered an adverse reaction. Death is a natural occurance, and patients who die while testing your medication aren't worth keeping track of.
  3. And corn, and other edibles by Katravax · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Sure, everyone jokes about smoking and tobacco on this story, but they're using corn and other edible crops as well. I don't give a damn how careful they are with the crops, they will not be able to remove all chance that the altered plants will propagate outside the "controlled" crop areas.

    What kind of effects will that have on food crops? What does it do to a human body to eat too much of the given drugs being grown in plants? The companies growing it don't even know. They whine because it's so much cheaper to do this way than with the traditional lab methods, and that it would cost too much to stop doing it. I don't care how much it costs them -- I don't want the chance of this stuff jumping into the food supply. I'd rather get sick of whatever they're trying to cure.

    I know there will be replies calling me a biology luddite, but I'm not. I don't want this stuff in our food. It's too much like pissing near the well.

    1. Re:And corn, and other edibles by Katravax · · Score: 1, Interesting

      I knew someone would miss the point. Tobacco is not a food plant. But let's say it was. Which is worse -- the occasional person dying from rabies, or entire groups of people eating rabies vaccine? They're growing cow antibiotics in corn. Do you want to eat that? What will it do to your body?