
We could soon be harvesting anti-viral antibodies from tobacco plants - dazosan
https://massivesci.com/articles/plantibody-influenza-covid19-coronavirus-flu-vaccine-antibody/
======
Obi_Juan_Kenobi
Why Tobacco?

It's a classic plant model system, and is particularly amenable to
transformation. You can do transient assays by loading your construct into
agrobacterium, and then simply squirting that onto some leaves. Generally you
include some markers that shows you both what tissue is transfected, and also
something that indicates whatever activity you're looking for.

With most plants, you have to do tissue culture and transform that material,
and then coax that into a viable plant. That gives you a (potentially) stable
line, but it's a lot of work. Benthy is quick.

In other words, there is _lots_ of experience with transformation, and being a
non-food crop, has fewer regulatory issues.

~~~
thatcat
Tobacco genetic data can be modified via mosaic virus insertion. This method
is standard and has been used to develop ebola vaccine as well. This paper
mentions tobacco relative Nicotiana benthamiana has a large biomass yield with
high density growth - optimal for greenhouse in only a few weeks so it would
scale fast. I'm not sure why mosaic virus vs agrobacter is used though?

[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4744784/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4744784/)

[https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-to-grow-an-ebola-
vacci...](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-to-grow-an-ebola-vaccine-with-
a-tobacco-plant)

------
rafaelturk
Yet again. Predicted by the Simpsons; Tomacco
[https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Tomacco](https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Tomacco)

~~~
_Microft
_Tomacco is the produce made by Homer after (accidentally) mixing tobacco
seeds and tomato seeds and then using plutonium rods to help the plants grow
by putting it in the ground near the plants_

Are you familiar with atomic gardening [0] already? Since it mentions
Cobalt-60 in the Wiki article - here is a picture of a Cobalt-60 source [1]
for fun.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_gardening](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_gardening)

[1]
[https://twitter.com/nuclearkatie/status/1249917284098981894](https://twitter.com/nuclearkatie/status/1249917284098981894)

~~~
throwaway_pdp09
Tobacco and tomatoes are both solonacea. I don't know but imagine that means
they can interbreed. Does anyone know?

Thanks for the atomic gardening, I'd not heard of it. I think people back then
were slightly mad.

~~~
_Microft
Here is more about atomic gardening.

[https://www.amusingplanet.com/2013/03/atomic-gardening-
breed...](https://www.amusingplanet.com/2013/03/atomic-gardening-breeding-
plants-with.html)

------
ctack
Where on a map will I find the Dominican Republic of the Congo?

------
woadwarrior01
I knew someone who was a vegan and a staunch anti-vaxxer. I wonder if vaccines
made from plant antibodies would assuage the concerns of that tiny
demographic? :)

~~~
pstuart
anti-vaxxers are effectively religious in their belief and one will have as
much luck changing minds there as to ask a devout Christian to question their
faith.

I don't say that to be dismissive of them, it's just a sad assessment of the
power of dogma.

~~~
propogandist
There's also the part where vaccine manufacturers have no liability for any
wrong doing when there's adverse effects

[https://www.npr.org/sections/health-
shots/2011/02/22/1339643...](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-
shots/2011/02/22/133964322/supreme-court-upholds-liability-shield-for-vaccine-
makers)

