Question

Explain how biopharmaceuticals can be created using plants.

short paragraph

Answer 1

Plants can be used as living factories for biopharmaceuticals by introducing genes that encode therapeutic proteins (for example antibodies, enzymes or vaccine antigens) into plant cells so the plants express and accumulate the product in leaves, seeds or other tissues. This can be done through stable genetic transformation or faster transient expression systems (often using harmless viral vectors), after which the protein is extracted and purified from plant material. Plant-based production can be lower-cost and scalable and reduces risk of human pathogens, though developers must manage differences in plant versus human protein modifications (glycosylation) and meet the same regulatory and quality standards as other biologics.