March 17, 2006

Australian scientist develops bird flu vaccine from GM tomatoes
 

Australian plant scientist Amanda Walmsley, Monash University in Melbourne, is developing a vaccine against the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus using genetically modified tomatoes.

Dr Walmsley was formerly part of a team that produced the world's first plant-made vaccine against Newcastle Disease, another poultry disease, using tobacco plants.

Using similar techniques, Walmsley hopes to develop a bird flu vaccine that can be administered orally.

The vaccine will first be made in injectable form, followed by trial oral and inhalable forms, which would allow mass administrations to poultry.

Walmsley aims to have a vaccine ready for preliminary testing in mice by end-2006.

Bird flu has devastated poultry flocks across many countries and dozens of people have died of the deadly virus. An effective bird flu vaccine for poultry would help reduce the risk of infection.

Walmsley added that one day, the same technique might be used to test plant-made vaccines for people.

Scientists from Melbourne's Burnet Institute, the University of Melbourne, and Dow AgroSciences in the US are involved in the bird flu project, which is funded by the Australian Research Council.