ABSTRACT
A major focus of biotechnology is the improvement of human health around the globe. It is anticipated that the genomic revolution will greatly expand our knowledge of the molecular basis of many diseases and pathological states. Combining this knowledge with powerful screening techniques will be used in the development of safe and efficacious drugs for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, including new vaccines and vaccine technologies. Unfortunately, the availability of these new treatments for use by all those who need them greatly depends on economic considerations such as the cost of their development, production, and delivery. Therefore, a major challenge of biotechnology is to reduce clinical innovations to economically viable practice, and the production and oral delivery of plant-derived vaccines is a step in that direction.
