We have developed a new method of vaccine development through the production of viral like particles in edible crops. The co-expression of viral structural proteins should enhance the proper presentation of viral related antigens to the human immune system. The hepatitis A virus (HAV) has been chosen as the target proof-of-concept model, where vaccination with isolated capsid proteins failed because neutralizing antibodies recognize specific structures on the viral particle, which are created only after the assembly of the capsid. Using this technology, transgenic tomato plants have been developed that express HAV antigens.
The inventors have shown that treatment of animals with administration of Hyper-IL-6, a chimeric protein, constructed from the human IL-6 protein fused to a truncated form of its receptor, as opposed to IL-6, dramatically enhances hepatocyte proliferation and significantly enhances survival following the induction of liver injury.
