Engineered chloroplasts as vaccine factories to combat bioterrorism

Bacillus anthracis is ideal for making biological weapons, but the licensed anthrax vaccine is unsuitable for widespread public administration. Recombinant subunit-vaccine candidates offer potential alternatives, and plant-based production systems facilitate the inexpensive bulking of target antigens. A recent report demonstrates expression of anthrax protective antigen in tobacco chloroplasts – this material is immunogenic and protective when injected into mice. Provided an economic purification scheme can be developed, this technology holds promise for an improved vaccine.