Biotechnological Plants Enabled Increased Production of Biological Medicating Agents
Biotechnology has made possible to deal successfully with several life threatening diseases. With the evolution of therapeutic proteins which are better known as biological medicating agents, various health disorders can be eliminated altogether. These anti-disease proteins are produced from natural sources such as plants and animals, and they possess enormous potential to cure the disease with minimal or no risks to cause side-effects.
Recent reports have demonstrated that around 130 therapeutic proteins are now available in the pharmaceutical world market and large numbers are under their development process. The discovery of human insulin which was the first recombinant therapeutic led to the fast expansion of branches related to the development and production of pharmaceuticals. These provide ultimate options for various treatment therapies and thus deliver significant results in the field of fast recovery from health defects.
These proteins have wide application areas and are able to cure diabetes, blood clotting disorders, etc. Several human vaccines have also been developed to provide immunity against viral infections. Due to their inherent capability to provide effective solutions against numerous diseases, they are in high demand.
Theoretically, every living organism can be considered as the potential source of therapeutics. But only few sources are availed for the extraction of these medications. The most prominent among them is Escherichia coli, a bacterium which can be easily operated as various studies related to its growth characteristics are already examined. They provide better transformation process so that sufficient quantities of proteins can be cultivated from them.
The rapid demand of protein therapeutics has forced pharmaceutical industries to expand their list of potential organisms for protein extraction. With the advent of post-translational modification of this therapeutics, prophylactic biopharmaceuticals can be produced which is nothing but the derivative of therapeutic protein. Plants have been also used as an alternative solution to these protein production systems and deliver a wide variety of options for transgene modification and targeting.