Researchers Hoping to Use Tobacco to Create Life-Saving Vaccine

Source from:  NATIONAL (NBC) wistv.com Aug 9, 2007 08/10/2007

Tobacco is known for causing cancer, but researchers in Kentucky think they've found a way that the plant can help prevent the deadly disease. They're continuing research using tobacco plants to prevent cervical cancer. "Our hope is that we will not only make a more cost effective vaccine by producing it in tobacco plants, but also produce one that has a broader reactivity against other human papilloma virus types," explained Dr. Kenneth Palmer. Palmer has been working on a new vaccination for the human papilloma virus at the Cancer Research Center in Owensboro, Kentucky. Gardasil, an HPV vaccine that's already on the market, costs $360 for three doses. The same amount of Palmer's vaccination would only cost three dollars. "There is a need, a greater need for an HPV vaccine that will prevent cervical cancer in the poorer areas of the world which is ironic, because we now have a cervical cancer vaccine that works extremely well but which is very, very expensive," said Palmer. Palmer said places like India, where medical care isn't always available, is where a low cost drug is needed most. "A lot of women, because they don't have access to routine gynecological care present with advance stage cervical cancer which is in many cases sadly beyond treatment." The new drug is cheaper because doctors use tobacco plants to incubate it. If aggressively researched, it could be seven to 10 years before the new drug is available on the market. The drug would only prevent cervical cancer. It would not help those who already have the disease. Enditem