Production of therapeutic antibodies in plants

Antibodies are versatile tools for the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. Their use has increased dramatically with the advent of recombinant antibody (rAb) technology, allowing the production of immunological reagents with improved and novel properties. The main challenge now lies in achieving cost-effective production on a large scale. Over the past 15 years, the potential of plants for the production of pharmaceutical proteins has become well-established. Plants represent an inexpensive, efficient and safe alternative to traditional systems used for the commercial-scale synthesis of rAbs. This review describes the current status of antibody production in plants, focusing on their advantages compared with other expression systems and the remaining obstacles to widespread acceptance.