BMJ  2007;335:180-182 (28 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.39275.480000.AD

Feature

Oral vaccines

A spoonful of antigen

BMJ, London WC1H 9JR

Immunisation without needles could have medical and technical advantages as well as being less traumatic for children. Alison Tonks reports

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Any parent who has ever taken their child to a seemingly endless series of vaccinations armed with pacifiers, lollipops, and a pack of lies about how much it will hurt must have hoped that one day someone would come up with a better way to protect infants from infections. A few may even have looked on wistfully as the oral polio vaccine went down in one and wondered why all vaccines weren't that simple. Fortunately, scientists love their children too. For the past 15 years they have been looking for the best way to produce vaccines you can eat.

The original idea was simple. Genetically engineer an edible fruit or vegetable so that it contains a vaccine and feed it to children. Early pioneers started experimenting with carrots, bananas, tomatoes, soya beans, and corn. One team led by Charles Arntzen, the US based grandfather of edible vaccines, made it all . . . [Full text of this article]

How to do it

Do we need plant derived vaccines?

Getting beyond the drawing board

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