Induction of oral tolerance to treat autoimmune and allergic diseases by using transgenic plants

Abstract

In recent years, the use of plants as a green bioreactor for production of recombinant pharmaceutical proteins, a technology known as plant molecular farming or biofarming, has gained increasing attention. This new technology has the potential to produce large quantities of the required protein at competitive low costs. Moreover, edible tissues or organs offer the possibility of direct oral delivery of pharmaceutical proteins expressed by plants with minimal processing, significantly reducing production costs and accelerating product development. To date, a number of recombinant proteins of pharmaceutical interest have been produced in plants, ranging from monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, hormones to enzymes. Furthermore, many plant-made pharmaceutical proteins have been tested in pre-clinical animal models of disease with promising results, with some plant-made vaccines and monoclonal antibodies advanced to human clinical trials. This chapter highlights the progress made towards the utilization of transgenic plants to express and deliver recombinant autoantigens or allergens to induce oral tolerance for the treatment of autoimmunity and allergy.