Genetically modified tobacco plants produce antibodies to treat rabies.

Smoking tobacco is bad for your health, but a genetically altered version of the plant might provide an inexpensive cure for the deadly rabies virus. Scientists have produced a monoclonal antibody in transgenic tobacco plants shown to neutralize the rabies virus. This antibody works by preventing the virus from attaching to nerve endings around the bite site and keeping the virus from traveling to the brain. The research finding appeared in The FASEB Journal, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology shows the efficacy of the tobacco plant to produce the vaccine. Rabies is a public health concern in developing countries where majority of pets are not vaccinated and a dog-bite incidence is always fatal because of high cost of vaccine and accessibility. The Production of an inexpensive antibody in transgenic plants opens the prospect of adequate rabies prevention for low-income families in developing countries.