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Vaccines
Special Issues
Production of Plant Virus-Based Vaccines and Therapeutics
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Production of Plant Virus-Based Vaccines and Therapeutics

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 3641

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Laurence K. Grill

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Keck Graduate Institute, Claremont, CA, USA
Interests: viral-vectored; plant-produced vaccines and therapeutics; developing rapid-response vaccines and therapeutics; reduction in cost of vaccines and therapeutics for production in developing countries
Dr. Kelvin Phiri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Keck Graduate Institute, Claremont, CA, USA
Interests: plant-based vaccine development; virology; antibody and receptor-fc fusion therapeutics; immunology; mammalian cell and plant expression systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the early 1990s, plant viruses have been genetically modified to produce non-viral gene products, resulting in high yields. Shortly after the initial production of bacterial gene products, human therapeutic products and vaccines were produced at high yields and a consistent quality. The field of plant virus-produced vaccines and therapeutics has grown, with several clinical and field trials of these products. Some completed clinical trials have successfully passed through phase 3 studies. This Special Issue aims to spotlight some of the major achievements and offer insights into the future of producing therapeutics and vaccines using whole plants with genes vectored by plant viruses.

Original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include the following:

  • Production of vaccines utilizing plant viral vectors;
  • The production of therapeutics utilizing plant viral vectors;
  • Production improvements and capabilities with plant-produced products;
  • Production yield improvements;
  • Emergency response capabilities with plant-produced vaccines and therapeutics.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Laurence K. Grill
Guest Editor

Dr. Kelvin Phiri
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • plant-produced
  • viral-vectored
  • therapeutics
  • vaccines
  • tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 2522 KiB  
Article
Development of Plant-Based Multivalent Vaccine Candidates for SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza Virus Using Inactivated Lactococcus
by Dong-Sook Lee, Hasanul Banna, Heeyeon Kim, Md Rezaul Islam Khan, Hai-Ping Diao, Shi-Jian Song, Young-Eui Kim, Haeji Kang, Jungsang Ryou, Joo-Yeon Lee, Jang-Hoon Choi, Inhwan Hwang and Sehee Park
Vaccines 2025, 13(3), 254; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13030254 - 27 Feb 2025
Viewed by 678
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by SARS-CoV-2, has caused ~690 million infections globally, manifesting with mild to severe symptoms, including pneumonia. After reduced activity, seasonal influenza re-emerged in winter 2022, creating a “twindemic” with SARS-CoV-2. Co-infections have been associated with [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by SARS-CoV-2, has caused ~690 million infections globally, manifesting with mild to severe symptoms, including pneumonia. After reduced activity, seasonal influenza re-emerged in winter 2022, creating a “twindemic” with SARS-CoV-2. Co-infections have been associated with higher risks, such as increased ventilator use and mortality, emphasizing the need for dual-target vaccines. This study investigates plant-based vaccines produced using a bacterium-like particle (BLP) system from Lactobacillus sakei to co-target SARS-CoV-2 and influenza. Methods: DNA fragments of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 variant spike (S) protein and H1N1 virus hemagglutinin (HA) ectodomain were synthesized and used to create recombinant constructs introduced into Agrobacterium. Protein expression was analyzed using Western blot and Bradford protein assays. Six-week-old K18-hACE2 mice were immunized with these antigens and challenged with influenza, SARS-CoV-2, or both to assess viral load and lung pathology at various times. Results: The SARS-CoV-2 S protein and influenza HA protein were successfully expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana and demonstrated strong binding to BLPs. In mouse models (BALB/c and K18-hACE2), these vaccines elicited potent humoral and cellular immune responses, with high neutralizing antibody titers and increased IFN-γ levels. Vaccinated mice demonstrated protection against viral challenges, reduced lung viral loads, and improved survival. In cases of co-infection, vaccinated mice showed rapid recovery and effective viral clearance, highlighting the potential of vaccines to combat simultaneous SARS-CoV-2 and influenza infections. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the potential of BLP-based multivalent vaccines for dual protection against major public health threats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production of Plant Virus-Based Vaccines and Therapeutics)
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Review

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29 pages, 2354 KiB  
Review
Molecular Farming for Immunization: Current Advances and Future Prospects in Plant-Produced Vaccines
by Dang-Khoa Vo and Kieu The Loan Trinh
Vaccines 2025, 13(2), 191; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13020191 - 15 Feb 2025
Viewed by 2626
Abstract
Using plants as bioreactors, molecular farming has emerged as a versatile and sustainable platform for producing recombinant vaccines, therapeutic proteins, industrial enzymes, and nutraceuticals. This innovative approach leverages the unique advantages of plants, including scalability, cost-effectiveness, and reduced risk of contamination with human [...] Read more.
Using plants as bioreactors, molecular farming has emerged as a versatile and sustainable platform for producing recombinant vaccines, therapeutic proteins, industrial enzymes, and nutraceuticals. This innovative approach leverages the unique advantages of plants, including scalability, cost-effectiveness, and reduced risk of contamination with human pathogens. Recent advancements in gene editing, transient expression systems, and nanoparticle-based delivery technologies have significantly enhanced the efficiency and versatility of plant-based systems. Particularly in vaccine development, molecular farming has demonstrated its potential with notable successes such as Medicago’s Covifenz for COVID-19, illustrating the capacity of plant-based platforms to address global health emergencies rapidly. Furthermore, edible vaccines have opened new avenues in the delivery of vaccines, mainly in settings with low resources where the cold chain used for conventional logistics is a challenge. However, optimization of protein yield and stability, the complexity of purification processes, and regulatory hurdles are some of the challenges that still remain. This review discusses the current status of vaccine development using plant-based expression systems, operational mechanisms for plant expression platforms, major applications in the prevention of infectious diseases, and new developments, such as nanoparticle-mediated delivery and cancer vaccines. The discussion will also touch on ethical considerations, the regulatory framework, and future trends with respect to the transformative capacity of plant-derived vaccines in ensuring greater global accessibility and cost-effectiveness of the vaccination. This field holds great promise for the infectious disease area and, indeed, for applications in personalized medicine and biopharmaceuticals in the near future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production of Plant Virus-Based Vaccines and Therapeutics)
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