Debulking different Corona (SARS-CoV-2 delta, omicron, OC43) and Influenza (H1N1, H3N2) virus strains by plant viral trap proteins in chewing gums to decrease infection and transmission

Towards comprehensive integration and curation of chloroplast genomes

“…The 'DSS' module contains the candidate DSSs from all species with more than one chloroplast assembly deposited in the CGIR (Figure 1h). DSS is a species-level marker that can be used as a complement to conventional DNA markers (Hua et al, 2022). The 'SSR' module comprises 7 284 705 SSRs and their associated primers (Figure 1i), far exceeding that of any other plastid SSR database.…”

“…Chloroplasts are semi‐autonomous genetic organelles that contain their own DNA. Since the first chloroplast genome was sequenced in 1986, chloroplast genomes have been extensively utilized as fundamental tools in plant phylogenetics and genetically modified to produce protein drugs, especially in the fight against COVID‐19 (Daniell et al ., 2021 , 2022 ). More chloroplast genome sequences could not only help us learn more about plant diversity and evolution (Daniell et al ., 2016 ), but they could also help chloroplast biotechnological applications by codon optimization and identifying non‐conserved intergenic spacer regions and regulatory sequences that are needed for genetic engineering (Daniell et al ., 2021 ).…”

Energy-efficient production of vaccine protein against porcine edema disease from transgenic lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

“…Additionally, the expression of the target protein was significantly improved by optimizing the growth conditions of lettuce, which further demonstrates the feasibility of clinical-grade plant biomass that can be prepared to meet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) criteria 20 . Recently, the Phase I/II placebo-controlled, double-blind randomized study that of a therapeutic protein made in lettuce to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection based on FDA approval, is in progress 21 . However, the design of a low-cost and energy-efficient upstream PMP production process has not yet been reported.…”

Optimization of biomass and target protein yield for Phase III clinical trial to evaluate Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 expressed in lettuce chloroplasts to reduce SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and transmission

“…The goal of delivering therapeutic proteins in plant cells, free of cold chain and expensive purification processes has been elusive for several decades. Recently, Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) expressed in lettuce chloroplasts for delivery via chewing gum (Daniell et al ., 2022a , b ) to prevent infection and transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) was approved by the FDA for a Phase I/II clinical trial (IND 154897, NCT05433181, IRB 851459). Further product development, leading to a Phase III clinical trial in preparation for commercial product launch, requires large‐scale biomass production under optimal growth conditions, for maximal yield of the target protein drug.…”

“…Mass production of therapeutic proteins in transplastomic lettuce under optimal growth conditions for oral delivery would help to reduce protein production and processing costs drastically. This study provides significant progress in optimizing conditions to produce plant biomass containing CTB‐ACE2, formulated into chewing gums to reduce viral load and COVID‐19 transmission (Daniell et al ., 2022a , b ) or oral CTB‐ACE2 and CTB‐Ang (1‐7) for treatment of cardiopulmonary diseases (Daniell et al ., 2020 ).…”