HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
Making a safer anthrax vaccine using spinach

BALTIMORE March 10, 2003 Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University have developed a strategy for making a safer anthrax vaccine; enlisting the help of spinach plants to manufacture a key component. They report their findings today at the American Society for Microbiology's Biodefense Research Meeting.

"Protective antigen (PA) of Bacillus anthracis is one of the three components of the anthrax toxin," says Alexander Karasev, a lead researcher on the study. "Purified PA is currently used as a vaccine against anthrax. However, the licensed vaccine derived from apathogenic B. anthracis has side effects and a more efficacious and safer vaccine is needed."

Karasev and his colleagues have genetically engineered a tobacco mosaic virus that, when inserted into spinach plants, instructs the plants to manufacture fragments of PA. The fragments can then easily be purified and used in a vaccine. They are already being used in the production of PA specific antibodies in laboratory animals.

"Plants can be an excellent vehicle for production of a subunit vaccine against anthrax based on protective antigen," says Karasev.


'"/>

Contact: Jim Sliwa
jsliwa@asmusa.org
202-942-9297
American Society for Microbiology
10-Mar-2003


Page: 1

Related biology news :

1. Making a friendlier mosquito
2. Making sense of the brains mind-boggling complexity
3. Making protein nanostructures
4. Making the most of stem cells
5. Making of mouse marks move toward mitochondrial medicine
6. Making new muscle: Researchers in Rome produce a mouse that can regenerate its tissues
7. Making sense of bacterial biodiversity
8. Making sense of the genome
9. A new twist on an age-old problem: Making knee replacements last
10. Making sense of Marfan syndrome
11. Making the most of lymphopenia

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Making safer anthrax vaccine using spinach

(Date:5/23/2013)... In an age when microbial pathogens are growing increasingly ... infection, a team of Wisconsin scientists has synthesized a ... bacteria that cause staph infections. , Writing online in ... a group led by University of Wisconsin-Madison chemistry Professor ... "quorum sensing" behavior of Staphylococcus aureus , a ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) investigators also conclude ... mortality with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) versus chest ... primary paper is achievable at experienced screening centers ... more information to share with their patients about ... screening following today,s publication in the New ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... have developed a novel technique that can detect molecular ... that is one of the most important, though time-consuming, ... a paper in Nature , post-doctoral researcher David ... Schnell of the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) ... finely-tuned microwave fields to identify molecular variants apart, and ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):University of Wisconsin chemists find new compounds to curb staph infection 2NLST: CT detects twice as many lung cancers as X-ray at initial screening exam 2NLST: CT detects twice as many lung cancers as X-ray at initial screening exam 3Detecting mirror molecules 2Detecting mirror molecules 3
(Date:5/23/2013)... Bed bugs already cost Alton Housing Authority thousands. And as ... from kmov.com suggested that the said office might need to ... be of help, My Cleaning Products gave tips how to ... service. , The report, which was posted on May ... $35,000 for bed bug elimination, My Cleaning Products shared. ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... 23, 2013 Watlow®, an industry ... thermal systems, recently introduced its new catalog, Watlow® ... experience in designing and manufacturing industrial heaters, Watlow ... to serve diverse customer needs. , A description ... the beginning of the book. These options allow ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... Just released this month on Amazon and B&N ... Roche: “Commit to Confidence: 30 Strategies to Help Women ... and quotes from the fields of psychology and business, relevant ... readers can do on their own or with a coach, ... professional goals. , “My book is a five-chapter ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... 2013 Industry leaders from around ... the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Biosurveillance Symposium ... at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. Held in ... conference on June 18 - 19. , ... American Elements, Applied Research Associates, ARA, AttaGene, Battelle, ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Bed Bug Exterminator Service Could Cost AHA $250K, My Cleaning Products Gives Tips How to Save Apartments from Costly Bed Bug Treatment 2Watlow Introduces Its New Industrial Heater Catalog 2Biodetection Technologies 2013 and Oak Ridge National Lab’s Biosurveillance Symposium to Bring Together Leading Organizations in Alexandria, VA from June 17-19, 2013 2Biodetection Technologies 2013 and Oak Ridge National Lab’s Biosurveillance Symposium to Bring Together Leading Organizations in Alexandria, VA from June 17-19, 2013 3Biodetection Technologies 2013 and Oak Ridge National Lab’s Biosurveillance Symposium to Bring Together Leading Organizations in Alexandria, VA from June 17-19, 2013 4Biodetection Technologies 2013 and Oak Ridge National Lab’s Biosurveillance Symposium to Bring Together Leading Organizations in Alexandria, VA from June 17-19, 2013 5
Cached News: