Rabies Antibodies From Tobacco Plants 47
Makarand writes "The tobaccco plant has been
genetically engineered
to produce rabies antibodies. After the DNA coding for the human antibody against rabies was inserted into the plant, rabies antibodies were found in the plant extract.
These antibodies were effective in binding to and neutralising the rabies virus
in animal tests with no adverse or allergic reactions."
No surprise (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:No surprise (Score:5, Funny)
http://www.gla.ac.uk/ibls/US/L1/l12002/plantwat
We will have more of these nasty tobbaco hybrids soon - pack-hunting around, biting their victims and even infecting them with rabbies.
Re:No surprise (Score:3, Informative)
Hooray! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Hooray! (Score:2)
Yeah, but since it's a genetically-modified (GM) product, the EU "pure food" nuts will just ban the rabies-curing tobacco as "unsafe".
(The lung-cancer-causing variety, by comparison, must be good for ya, 'cuz it's "natural" :)
Re:Hooray! (Score:2)
Ironically, so is the rabies virus.
Rabies is a commonly used vector in gene therapy research. Since it targets brain tissue, it is a good way to introduce a therapeutic gene into mammalian neurons to treat diseases like ALS and spinal muscular atrophy.
But. (Score:1)
Re:But. - more to the point (Score:2, Funny)
Re:But. (Score:1)
It depends on who "you" are: they have only tested it on other animals so far.
Get rabbies... (Score:5, Funny)
Cigarettes aren't selling well? Just wait untill people get rabies! Then give them our vaccine, and they'll get addicted to it! It's the perfect plan.
He he he.
Adverse events (Score:4, Interesting)
Interesting... (Score:1)
Re:Interesting... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Interesting... (Score:1)
Re:Interesting... (Score:2)
Re:Interesting... (Score:1)
'Uhhh, check my ass. I think there's space for one more...'
Think of the new anti-rabies programs... (Score:3, Funny)
Joe Camel vs Cujo (Score:2)
Zork the Rabid Dog (Score:1, Funny)
"Somewhere in our town tonight roams Zork, the rabid dawg. We'll give $1000 to whoever can grab... the RIGHT.... rabid...dawg!"
This is so obscure and old that it is not even found on Google.
And corn, and other edibles (Score:4, Interesting)
What kind of effects will that have on food crops? What does it do to a human body to eat too much of the given drugs being grown in plants? The companies growing it don't even know. They whine because it's so much cheaper to do this way than with the traditional lab methods, and that it would cost too much to stop doing it. I don't care how much it costs them -- I don't want the chance of this stuff jumping into the food supply. I'd rather get sick of whatever they're trying to cure.
I know there will be replies calling me a biology luddite, but I'm not. I don't want this stuff in our food. It's too much like pissing near the well.
Re:And corn, and other edibles (Score:4, Funny)
We'll miss you - rabies is fatal.
Re:And corn, and other edibles (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:And corn, and other edibles (Score:1)
Re:And corn, and other edibles (Score:2)
Which is worse -- the occasional person dying from rabies, or entire groups of people eating rabies vaccine? They're growing cow antibiotics in corn. Do you want to eat that? What will it do to your body?
What's needed is a safety mechanism. I have seen research that rendered yeast (IIRC) dependant on an amino acid that does not occur naturally (yet is easily synthesized). A good measure would be to make the same modification to the plant's genetics so that won't grow at all outside of it's controlled cu
Re:And corn, and other edibles (Score:3, Informative)
Re:And corn, and other edibles (Score:2)
Do you mean Virus?
Re:And corn, and other edibles (Score:2)
Re:And corn, and other edibles (Score:1)
Re:And corn, and other edibles (Score:2)
Actually, organic foods are slowly becoming mainstream. Organic farmers in the past have gone out of business for two primary reasons. One is that they simply stopped using pesticides and herbicides but made no other changes to their practice (a sure recipe for disaster). The other is that organic foods have been a sort of fringe thing.
When appropriate techniques are used such as mixed crops and avoiding strains which require 'modern' techniques to thrive due to inferior insect resistance or ability to ab
So this is how they save themselves... (Score:3, Insightful)
The industry keeps it's plantations and probably won't have to change the harvesting methods. Processing might need some modification. Major changes for the factories/machines that produce the actual finished product. If it's possible to grow a tobacco plant with multiple genetic changes that don't interfere with each other's development, it could be the 2nd golden era for the tobacco industry.
Re:So this is how they save themselves... (Score:1)
The comparison for tobacco and for alcohol vs marijuana has been done numerous times and has always come to the same conclusion: tobacco and alcohol do more damage to the body long and short term.
As for a final thought: how many years did the government and the industry outright LIE to people about their products effects on the body in order to preserve th
Obligatory Simpsons link (Score:4, Funny)
So.... (Score:5, Funny)
It's true! (Score:3, Funny)
I've been smoking for years and I've never once had rabies!
Smoke? (Score:2, Informative)
This won't do anything for the cigarette industry, but this (and other work in tobacco) could very well help tobacco farmers. Tobacco is used not only because it is easy to