Blueprint for the development of plant-derived vaccines for the poor in developing countries

This Blueprint is the result of a series of international consultations and demonstrates that the development of plant-derived vaccines is both straightforward and achievable. A particular benefit of plant-derived vaccines is that their production could easily and economically be established in developing countries. The production in plants of large quantities of vaccines for oral administration is poised to revolutionize the world of vaccination and help bring to the poor the promise of existing and new vaccines for controlling infectious diseases. Due to economic and market realities, this promise will be achieved only through the collaboration of the public and private sectors with significant investments by both parties. These investments, however, will yield rich dividends in the form of widely available, inexpensive, orally administered, heat stable vaccines. The document specifically discusses pathways to produce vaccines against hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human papilloma virus (HPV) but also apply to other pathogens.