Tobacco Plants Will Now Make Vaccines

Tobacco Plants Will Now Make Vaccines

Darpa, the Pentagon’s research and development branch, has awarded $40
million to Texas A&M University and pharmaceutical manufacturer
G-Con to develop a method for producing vaccines by growing them in
tobacco.
Scientists are engineering bacteria that will carry flu markers into
Nicotiana benthamiana tobacco plants, which will then create flu
protein. Technicians grind up the leaves to extract the protein.

Popular Science reports: “As plant-grown medicines gain industry
popularity, this particular species of tobacco could dominate the
market. Like its cash-crop cousin, it’s fast-growing and cheap.” (1)

If you’ve been following the scientific news, you will have noticed
that plant-based vaccines are cropping up with increasing frequency.
Bayer is testing a plant-derived vaccine for non-Hodgkins lymphoma, for
example, and a Canadian company called Medicago Inc. has reported
“positive results” for a tobacco-based vaccine against the avian flu
(H5N1).

Likewise, the biotech firm VAXX Inc. is planning to begin a human trial
of tobacco-based vaccine for the Norwalk norovirus, also dubbed the
“cruise ship virus.”

In February, Texas A&M University partnered up with pharmaceutical
manufacturer G-Con to launch Project GreenVax, with the intent to
further develop the methods to produce vaccines quicker by growing them
in tobacco plants. The project is partially funded by the Pentagon’s
R&D branch, Darpa.

This is yet another sign of the transition taking place, from drugs to
vaccines for every ill. Patents on many blockbuster drugs are now
expiring, and the tens of billions of dollars of revenue they generated
are being lost. As it is becoming increasingly difficult to find
patented replacements for them, drug companies are now shifting their
focus to vaccines instead.
Folks, if you think 106,000 drug-related deaths per year is bad, just
wait until we start increasing the number of vaccines we are receiving.
The autism epidemic is only the tiny tip of the iceberg.

From Egg- to Plant-Based Vaccine Production

But producing vaccines has always been a costly and time consuming
process, as vaccines have typically been produced by growing viruses in
chicken eggs. The novel process of growing the vaccine in a plant
instead of an egg is about three times faster, and can cut costs by
about 75 percent compared to the conventional method.

The question of course is: Is it any safer than the old method?

For 60 years, science has claimed vaccines to be both safe and
effective, and time has shown neither to be correct. I’ve reported on
the dangers of various vaccines repeatedly over the years.

As for flu vaccines, study after study has shown they do not work, and that they do harm.

More recently, independent testing also discovered shocking
contamination of rotavirus vaccines with DNA from two different types of
pig viruses, one of which is a lethal pig virus that causes wasting
and death in baby pigs. One of the vaccine manufacturers confirmed that
this contamination was there when the vaccine was licensed, and
contaminated every one of the millions of doses of the live virus
vaccine given to babies.

So, the question is, what else might end up in a vaccine from a genetically altered plant?

Popular Science declares that “a cousin of the tobacco plant could help
protect us from a major flu pandemic.” But I have my doubts, because
aside from the safety questions, vaccines were never the answer for the
flu in the first place.

But first, let’s take a look at how this new generation of plant-based vaccines are created.

How are Plant-Based Vaccines Created?

As you may have guessed, plants normally do not create antibodies, so
the first step in creating a plant-based vaccine was to genetically
alter the tobacco plant so it would produce monoclonal antibodies. This
technique was originally developed back in 1989, according to Science
Daily.

Proponents of this novel production method state that plants don’t
carry viruses that can infect humans. However, that is incorrect. Plants
can be infected with viruses (see
http://www.dpvweb.net/intro/index.php) and I think it’s premature to
claim that a genetically altered plant will produce 100 percent safe
vaccines, especially considering that most vaccines are injected
straight into your body, bypassing your natural defense mechanisms.

In addition, I believe it’s very premature to say that it’s completely
safe to adjust viral antibodies in order to adapt them for production
in a plant. Researchers working on a West Nile virus vaccine explained:
“We altered the genetic coding of the antibody slightly, not changing
its parts but using alternate forms of the coding for those parts to
maximize the plant’s ability to produce it.”

What do we know about the ramifications of tinkering with human immune
responses or using plants that can be infected with viruses to produce
vaccines? The precautionary principle would counsel us that safety has
not yet been determined…
An article in the Wall Street Journal explains the rest of the plant-based vaccine extraction process as follows:

“As a first step, researchers”¦ isolated a protein from the H1N1 virus
known to trigger a protective immune response in a patient without
causing an infection.

A gene for this protein was then introduced into a bacterium. Tobacco
plants were placed in a special chamber and dipped into a soup of the
bacteria, which caused the plants to get infected with the gene-carrying
bacteria.

The infected plants then began to produce the protein from H1N1 in
large quantities. The plants grew for about a week. Their leaves were
then chopped up and crushed, and the protein from H1N1″”the essence of
the vaccine”"was extracted from the slurry and purified.”

Keep in Mind: Safety is of No Real Concern for Vaccine Makers”

Do you believe safety is a major concern for vaccine makers?

The last swine flu vaccination campaign that took place in 1976 led to
thousands of lawsuits. Damage claims totaled $1.3 billion. The vaccine
was associated with some 500 cases of Guillain Barre Syndrome and
claimed 25 lives and hundreds of previously healthy young adults were
injured. The swine flu itself claimed ONE life.

Since then, the U.S. government has taken steps to remove the financial
liability for vaccine makers. Now, whenever things go awry with
pandemic vaccines (as they have), they don’t have to pay a single cent
to anyone.

And this new breed of plant-based swine flu vaccines, which are slated
for experiemental human trials sometime next year, will be no
different.

Keep in mind that if you place your sole trust in your health officials
and the vaccine makers, the potential price you might pay is your
physical health and financial future. Everything is at stake.

In my opinion, blindly believing that a plant-based vaccine will remove
the possibility of viral contamination and potentially deadly side
effects is foolhardy at best.

How to Protect Yourself Against the Flu Without Vaccination

As I stated earlier, vaccines were never the answer to preventing
influenza to begin with. (Remember only 20 percent of all “flu-like”
illness is actually type A or B influenza that is supposed to be
prevented with getting a flu shot. Most of the time, when you get sick
with what looks like influenza, it is actually associated with other
viruses or bacteria).

The key to avoiding influenza, or getting through a bout of any kind of
flu-like sickness without any major problems, is keeping your natural
immune system in good working order. It is your primary defense against
all disease, and it’s a rare bug that can overtake an optimally working
immune system.

Vaccinations, on the other hand, atypically manipulate your immune
system (this is the main job of the vaccine ingredients, including
adjuvants that can send your immune system into overdrive and trigger
autoimmunity in some people), leaving you more susceptible to other
infections or serious health problems.

For example, a major study recently confirmed that those who previously
received seasonal flu shots were more likely to acquire the 2009
pandemic H1N1 swine flu.

How’s that for health protection?

Following these simple guidelines will ensure you’re far less likely to acquire the infection to begin with.

“Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I’ve previously reported,
optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies
for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency is
likely the TRUE culprit behind people being more likely to get sick in
the winter when there is less sunlight — not the viruses or bateria
that are associated with influenza or flu-like illnesses..

• Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods as sugar, and fructose in
  particular, decreases the function of your immune system almost
  immediately.
  
• Get Enough Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your
  daily tasks done if you’re tired, if your body is overly fatigued it
  will be harder for it to fight influenza or any flu-like illness.. Be
  sure to check out my article Guide to a Good Night’s Sleep for some
  great tips to help you get quality rest.
  
• Have Effective Tools to Address Stress. If you feel that stress is
  taking a toll on your health, consider using an energy psychology tool
  such as meridian tapping techniques, which is remarkably effective in
  relieving stress associated with all kinds of events, from work to
  family to trauma.
  
• Exercise. By increasing circulation and blood flow throughout your
  body, the components of your immune system are also better circulated,
  which means your immune system has a better chance of fighting an
  infection before it spreads. You can review my exercise guidelines for
  some great tips on how to get started.
  
• Take a Good Source of Animal-Based Omega-3 Fats. Increase your
  intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill
  oil, which is crucial for maintaining health. It is also vitally
  important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils that are trans fats and in
  processed foods as it will seriously damage your immune response.
  
• Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of
  spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be aware that
  antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and cause far more harm
  than good. Instead, switch to a simple chemical-free soap.
  
• Use Natural Antibiotics. Examples include oil of oregano and garlic.
  These work like broad-spectrum antibiotics against bacteria and can
  help if you have viral infections, too, to boost immune function. And
  unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics, they do not appear to lead to
  resistance.
  

Source:-
http://www.vaccinationcouncil.org/2010/06/04/tobacco-plants-will-now-make-vaccines/?utm_source=BlogGlue_network&utm_medium=BlogGlue_Plugin