Vaccines and Immunization

Animal and Plant Derived Vaccines

Many of the main advances in Immunology have arisen as a result of the use of animals. The development of transplantation surgery and the development of new medicines and vaccines would not be possible without animal research. The use of animal models has helped us understand how infectious diseases occur. This has led scientists to develop preventative treatments in the form of vaccines to help reduce the likelihood of someone being infected with a dangerous microbe, such as those responsible for causing polio, diphtheria, and hepatitis C. 

Transgenic plants have been identified as promising expression systems for vaccine production. Complex plants such as tobacco, potato, tomato, and banana can have genes inserted that cause them to produce vaccines usable for humans. Bananas have been developed that produce a human vaccine against Hepatitis B.