Insights into the world of edible vaccines: From lab to reality

Edible vaccines have emerged as a groundbreaking advancement in the field of immunization, offering a unique and promising approach to combat infectious diseases. These are subunit vaccines wherein plants are genetically engineered to synthesise specific proteins to induce disease resistance. This idea of plant-based edible vaccines (PBVs) shall prove to be a boon for society, in the health sector as they are affordable, simple to administer and store. The use of edible vaccines has demonstrated a boost in mucosal and systemic immunity. Plants like potato, banana, lettuce, corn, soybean, rice, and legumes have been utilized for this application and have resulted in reduced diseases such as cholera, hepatitis, measles, diarrhoea. This review provides an overview of edible vaccines, exploring their development, advantages, challenges, and future potential. This further explores the processes involved in transforming plants using both direct and indirect gene delivery methods and provides an in-depth analysis of the background and clinical evidence for each plant candidate. Additionally, it also highlights the scientific advancements, ethical considerations, regulatory aspects, and potential impact of edible vaccines on global health and shall benefit researchers globally, in the field of developmental therapeutics, alternative medicine, and green chemistry.