Monoclonal antibodies are used to treat infectious and autoimmune diseases due to their high specificity. Their production by commercial bacterial and fungal systems cannot keep pace with the production of adequate quantities of therapeutic proteins, and the proteins produced in this way may provoke an unwanted immune response. Plant expression systems are a good alternative, with many advantages that offer the possibility of obtaining therapeutic proteins more cost-effectively, efficiently and safely. If demand increases, crop production can easily be increased. The high cost of epidemics and pandemic on countries’ health systems and economies has led to increased interest in the field of infectious diseases. Mass vaccination through the consumption of transgenic plants allows rapid immunisation and prevents the spread of disease. In addition to outbreaks of infectious diseases, the number of people suffering from autoimmune diseases has increased in recent years. There are no effective cures for them, only medicines to relieve the symptoms. Plant-expressed monoclonal antibodies would also allow for effective treatment of autoimmune diseases due to their high specificity and appropriate glycoform. However, the sheer complexity of autoimmune diseases, their unknown causes and the unwillingness of the pharmaceutical industry to switch to plant-based production systems make it somewhat difficult to study and support new research. Public concerns about genetically modified plants and the challenges in isolating and further processing recombinant proteins also contribute to this. Challenges are being tackled successfully as evidenced by a growing number of successful cases and applications.
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