Plants: The Future Pharmaceutical Factory

The main objective of this study was to identify prospects, advantages and challenges of plant molecular farming. Plant-made pharmaceuticals (PMPs) and plant made vaccines (PMVs) were intended to be used for human consumption. A broad range of plants, including crops, vegetables and fruits have been investigated for their applicability in production of pharmaceuticals over the last two decades. At present, mainly maize, rice, tobacco and safflower are used in open field production. Contained bioreactor-type systems focus on moss, algae and plant organ culture. Expression systems include stable transformation of plant genomes—both nuclear and plastid, which are also used in the generation of genetically modified crops, plant-viruses and transient expressions. Each expression system (production platform) offers different advantages and disadvantages. Production platform choice is perceptive and depends on a broad range of criterion. This study is based on literature reviews, document analysis and internet database browsing.