Plants 'Hijacked' To Make Polio Vaccine (bbc.com)

Plants have been "hijacked" to make polio vaccine in a breakthrough with the potential to transform vaccine manufacture, say scientists. From a report: The team at the John Innes Centre, in Norfolk, says the process is cheap, easy and quick. As well as helping eliminate polio, the scientists believe their approach could help the world react to unexpected threats such as Zika virus or Ebola. Experts said the achievement was both impressive and important. The vaccine is an "authentic mimic" of poliovirus called a virus-like particle. Outwardly it looks almost identical to poliovirus but -- like the difference between a mannequin and person -- it is empty on the inside. It has all the features needed to train the immune system, but none of the weapons to cause an infection.

Comments

Re:Why the polio vaccine?

[Jarik C-Bol]

Because we know what an effective polio vaccine looks like. If we are able to replicate an effective polio vaccine using this new technique, the knowledge obtained creating it produces a framework around which to build the process of making vaccines for diseases that we currently do NOT have vaccines for.
Much the same as how there are many proofs for the Pythagorean theorem. The more ways to the correct answer, the more thoroughly the problem is solved, and the understanding gained developing those proofs lends itself to being able to solve other more complex problems.