Jul 26, 2012

Darpa's Military is Genetically Modifying Tobacco to Mass Produce Flu Vaccines

Spooky article talks about the Military using genetically modified tobacco to produce vaccine like particles used to assemble the flu vaccine in mass quantities in case of an epidemic. The process of mutating the tobacco is explained in this excerpt from the Wired article link below:
 "Plant-based vaccines, however, are developed using “virus-like particles,” which actually resemble viruses on a genetic level but are non-infectious. They can’t spread between people, and they help produce anti-viral antibodies. To produce the particles, scientists synthesize the DNA of the flu virus, combine the flu DNA with bacteria, and then soak the plants with it. After soaking for a few minutes, the plants then start producing the flu-fighting particles. Those particles then become the basis for a vaccine."
Darpa's Flu Fighters Ramp Up Veggie-Based Vaccines | Danger Room | Wired.com

1 comment:

  1. Yet another government department that needs to be shut down.

    ReplyDelete