Researchers from the Applied Biotechnology Institute are closing in on perfecting an innovative new method of producing oral hepatitis B vaccines using modified corn starch, according to a recent study.
The institute has developed an approach in which corn is genetically modified to produce a non-infectious hepatitis B virus-like particle that can be made into an edible wafer when mixed with flour, sugar and water.
The corn processing technique was associated with an immune response in mice that is four times the response to injected vaccines, according to the study.
The materials used to create each wafer cost less than 1 cent, and the vaccine can be administered without medical staff. The new wafer vaccine would not require refrigeration and would cost less than $1 to manufacture each dose.
The Applied Biotechnology Institute believes it will receive Food and Drug Administration approval to start human trials of the corn-based hepatitis B vaccine within the next year.
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