Research shows potential of edible vaccines

A potentially promising new strategy for vaccine delivery was highlighted in last week's edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). In a paper by Nochi and colleagues, "Rice-based mucosal vaccine as a global strategy for cold-chain- and needle-free vaccination," (free abstract), the authors report on favorable immune responses in mice caused by rice genetically-engineered include a vaccine against cholera.

An editorial in the same issue of PNAS ("Vaccines are for dinner,") expresses great optimism about the potential for the Nochi, et al., method to address many of the logistical obstacles that hamper large-scale vaccination efforts, particularly the need to keep traditional vaccines refrigerated at all times from manufacture to delivery (known as the 'cold chain') and the difficulties of needle-based vaccination programs around the world.

Last week's issue of The Economist picked up the story -- "A new health food" -- providing a far more accessible summary of Nochi, et al.'s research for a lay audience.

It is an interesting and potentially important set of research findings, but as with most early-stage research, the journey to a viable human therapy employing rice-based vaccines is, at best, a decade or longer away.