Co-heads
Dr Diane Webster, PhD
Professor Steve Wesselingh, BMBS, PhD, FRACP
Staff
Ms Raelene Pickering, BSc(Hons)
Mr Scott Smith, BSc(Hons)
Mr De Guzman, Giorgio BSc Hons (Monash)
Research Overview
Plant molecular farming involves using transgenic plants to make compounds (proteins) which are not normally made in plants. This group works with proteins that are medically interesting and may one day be used to treat or prevent diseases.
Plant-based production systems have a number of advantages, including the ability to make large quantities of high-quality protein at relatively low cost. Medicines made in plants can be safely extracted from leaves and roots without the risk of contamination by human pathogens. Alternatively, they can be given in whole-plant formulations. For example, leaves expressing a measles vaccine can be freeze-dried, ground to a powder and given orally in a capsule or as a paste. We have found that these freeze-dried whole plant formulations are very stable at room temperature which makes them ideal for distribution in resource-poor regions where refrigeration is challenging.
We use genetic engineering techniques to make new varieties of plants containing vaccines for measles, malaria and avian influenza (bird flu). We also have a major project that is investigating the potential of plants for the production a protein which may be useful in the treatment of conditions as diverse as diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Research Objectives
• To further develop plant systems for the expression of high-quality medically interesting proteins such as vaccines and therapeutic agents (transient expression, root culture, viral vectors).
• To optimise the conformation, post-translational processing and functional activity of plant-made proteins to produce highly bioactive compounds (sRAGE, measles, avian influenza).
• To continue development of oral, heat-stable vaccines and examine approaches to understand and facilitate oral vaccine uptake (measles, malaria, avian influenza)
Research Highlights
• Using a transient plant expression system we have demonstrated that plant-made sRAGE expresses well, is glycosylated, and is able to bind to target ligands. This protein can be readily purified. Stable transgenic plants have been generated and preliminary analysis indicates that high-yields of sRAGE protein are accumulating.
• Expression of a second measles antigen in plants was achieved, which represents a positive step towards a safe, effective oral measles vaccine.
• In collaboration with Dow AgroSciences, The University of Melbourne and Monash University a new research project has commenced to produce an avian influenza vaccine in plants