1. Edible Vaccines: eating our way to the eradication of disease

2. Vaccines n Eradication of small-pox n Vaccine preventable diseases –millions of deaths per year n No vaccines –HIV; ~2 million deaths per year –malaria; 1.5 - 2.7 million deaths per year There is a clear need for new vaccines, and vaccination strategies

3. Why is measles still killing children? n Failure to vaccinate: –fear safety and side effects –misconceptions prevalence and seriousness –access/availability n Vaccine failure: –inactivation by heat –interference by maternal antibodies

4. A subunit based edible vaccine? n economical n heat stable n oral administration –no more needles –mucosal immune response n sub-unit vaccine –unable to replicate –overcome maternal antibodies

5. Developing an edible vaccine for measles Hemagglutinin (H) protein surface exposed protein targeted during the immune response sufficient to induce protective immunity H F P RNA + N L M n select an antigen

6. Tobacco expressing the MV-H protein Western blot 50kDa 75kDa 100kDa PNGase F - + MV-H control Transgenic tobacco

7. Feeding tobacco induces MV neutralising antibodies in mice

8. Feeding tobacco may also induce a mucosal immune response MV-HControl Naive titre Treatment groups

9. n Edible species lettuce tobacco control MV-H 75kDa 50kDa From model system to practical vaccine ricecontrol

10. n Edible species – intraperitoneal experiment From model system to practical vaccine MV-H tobacco MV-H lettuce control lettuce MV-specific serum IgG titers

11. n Edible species – intraperitoneal experiment From model system to practical vaccine MV-H lettuce control lettuce MV-neutralisation titers

12. From model system to practical vaccine n an edible species n delivery and dose issues –quantity and number higher antigen expression in plants targeting the antigen for better uptake n safety issues n quality control and licensing n GMO issues

14. Summary: n tobacco, lettuce and rice can express the MV-H protein n plant-derived MV-H protein is able to induce MV neutralising antibodies in mice n edible vaccines have the potential to address the limitations of the current measles vaccine

15. Acknowledgements Viral Vaccine Unit, (Monash University) Steve Wesselingh Jenny Martin Diane Webster Michelle Cooney Zhongjun Huang CSIRO, Adelaide Ian Dry Terri King Steve Choimes Melbourne University Richard Strugnell