Plant Biotechnology

This volume reviews the latest research on using genetically engineered plants and plant viruses to produce new products for medicine and industry. Individual chapters cover the three main technologies for engineering plants: Agrobacterium-mediated transformation; particle bombardment transformation; and plant viral vectors. Additional chapters deal with strategies for producing medically important products such as vaccines, human enzymes, monoclonal antibodies, and other therapeutic proteins in plants. In addition to presenting up-to-date reviews of current research efforts, the book also contains some thoughtful discussions on the potential benefits and risks involved in producing pharmaceuticals in plants and the challenges of bringing such products to market.