The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7199 p705-712
25 May 2002

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Pharmaceuticals and genes are part of the Chelsea Flower Show

The Chelsea Flower Show is now, apparently, the top event in the United Kingdom's social calendar. This might not augur well for a visitor hoping to find exhibits of a serious pharmaceutical nature. Much publicity has been given to the healing garden designed by the Prince of Wales, which contains medicinal plants. There was also a garden designed for Marie Curie Cancer Care to mark the 100th anniversary of Marie Curie discovering radium, and featuring a recreation of her laboratory.

In recent years, Chelsea has had a lifelong learning section and it was here that Guy's Hospital had an exhibit entitled "From genes and greens to vaccines" to show how pharmaceuticals can be made in transgenic plants.

The first stage involves the cloning of a gene for a medicinal protein of interest from a bacterium or virus. This is then integrated into a length of DNA which replicates and is transferred to a bacterium with a natural ability to transfer a small number of its own genes into plants. When incubated with leaf tissue, the gene of interest integrates with the plant's genetic material. Using this theory, researchers in the department of oral medicine at Guy's have produced a vaccine against tooth decay which is now undergoing clinical trials.

Research in the United States is looking at edible plants such as rice, banana and tomato to express vaccines for use in the developing world. Using only a limited amount of processing, vaccines for oral delivery could be produced containing known amounts of vaccine, in for example, fruit purees.
— Contributed by Diane Langleben, editor, Hospital Pharmacist.