Background:
The upbringing of the COVID-19 vaccines have had a range of creative approaches, each with distinct benefits. COVID-19 vaccines come in various types, such as mRNA, viral vector, and protein subunit vaccines. Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines use messenger RNA to order cells to produce a protein that triggers an immune response. Viral Vector Vaccines use a modified virus to deliver genetic material that codes for a SARS-CoV-2 protein. Protein Subunit Vaccines contain proteins from the virus to stimulate an immune response without using live virus. Plant-based vaccines is a creative method that involves genetically modified plants to be able to produce vaccine proteins. Some benefits are lower cost and ease large-scale production compared to the traditional ways. Traditional vaccines usually involve complex manufacturing and storage, whereas plant-based vaccines offer much more simpler logistics.
Objective of the Study:
TOMAVAC is an edible COVID-19 vaccine that was developed using genetically modified tomatoes to include the SARS-CoV-2 protein. The aim of the study of TOMAVAC was to evaluate the vaccine's ability to induce NAbs (neutralizing antibodies) and determine its safety.
Materials and methods:
The TOMAVOC preparation was pretty complex, as they had to genetically modify the tomato to express the SARS-CoV-2 protein and the amount they put in was crucial as well (~0.77 microgram/gram). They also found out that there were differences between ripe and unripe tomatoes such as unripe tomatoes having higher protein levels.
Study Design:
Later on, a study was done on people in order to test the vaccine. The protocol was that the volunteers consumed 50g of TOMAVAC daily for 3 days on an empty stomach and measurements were taken for NAbs on days 0, 7, 14, and 21. For comparison, the control group did not receive TOMAVAC and they were also measured on days 0, 7, 14, and 21. For safety, volunteers were constantly monitored for adverse effects during and post-consumption; there were no severe side effects, though there was minor abdominal pressure, which was resolved after immunization.
Results:
The NAbs results in human volunteers had a significant increase of about 42.28 BAU/mL (binding antibody units per mL). This means that the amount of antibodies in the blood that can fight the virus increased significantly for the volunteers who took the TOMAVAC vaccine.
Discussion:
TOMAVAC shows potential in inducing a system immune response comparable to traditional vaccines, which makes it more effective. Plant-based vaccines also offer a cost-effective and scalable alternative. There was a similar success observed when compared with the parenteral AstraZeneca vaccine. One con, however, is that there might be different results and effects based on the maturity of the fruit. Therefore, a future study that needs to be done is on the long-term success of how fruit maturation affects protein levels.
TOMAVAC holds great potential as an edible vaccine and also provides a more affordable and scalable option compared to traditional vaccines. It’s eco-friendly and uses a simple distribution process, making it a compelling alternative. Including TOMAVAc into global vaccination programs could improve global coverage and strengthen worldwide health security.
References
Kurup, Vrinda M, and Jaya Thomas. “Edible Vaccines: Promises and Challenges.” Molecular Biotechnology, vol. 62, no. 2, 2020, pp. 79–90, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7090473/, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12033-019-00222-1.
Saxena, Jyoti, and Shweta Rawat. “Edible Vaccines.” Advances in Biotechnology, 22 Oct. 2013, pp. 207–226, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7120417/, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-1554-7_12.
Sahoo, Ankit, et al. “A Cross Talk between the Immunization and Edible Vaccine: Current Challenges and Future Prospects.” Life Sciences, vol. 261, Nov. 2020, p. 118343, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2020.118343.
Mirzakhmedov, Mukhammadjon. “Frontiers | Tomato-Made Edible COVID-19 Vaccine TOMAVAC Induces Neutralizing IgGs in the Blood Sera of Mice and Humans.” Frontiers, 9 Aug. 2023, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1275307/full.
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