Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Mar 08, 2026 1 day, 6 hours, 9 minutes ago
Thailand Medical: Scientists in Thailand have developed a promising new approach to combat dangerous bird flu viruses by producing a powerful influenza antibody in plants. The breakthrough could offer a faster and more affordable way to manufacture antiviral therapies during future outbreaks and pandemics.
Plant-produced influenza antibody demonstrates strong ability to neutralize dangerous avian flu viruses and may help
future pandemic preparedness
Thailand Medical researchers from the Center of Excellence in Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals and the Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, together with scientists from Baiya Phytopharm Co., Ltd., Bangkok, and the Virology and Vaccine Technology Research Team at the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) in Pathum Thani, Thailand, conducted the study exploring plant-based antibody production against avian influenza.
Rising Concerns Over Bird Flu Threats
Influenza viruses remain one of the world’s most persistent infectious threats, responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths every year. A major challenge with influenza is its ability to mutate rapidly, forcing scientists to constantly update seasonal vaccines.
More concerning are avian influenza strains such as H5N1 and H7N9. These viruses typically circulate among birds but can occasionally infect humans, sometimes causing severe disease and death. Recent outbreaks in various regions have heightened concerns that new strains could potentially spark future pandemics.
To address this challenge, scientists have been searching for broader solutions capable of protecting against multiple influenza strains rather than targeting only one specific virus type.
A Powerful Broad-Spectrum Antibody
The Thai research team focused on a well-known broadly neutralizing antibody called CR9114. This antibody targets a highly conserved region of the influenza virus known as the hemagglutinin stem.
Because this region changes very little across many influenza strains, antibodies that bind to it may provide protection against a wide range of viruses. CR9114 has previously been shown to recognize multiple influenza A subtypes as well as influenza B viruses, making it a promising candidate for universal influenza therapies.
This Medical News report highlights how researchers explored whether this antibody could be rapidly produced using plants while still retaining its ability to neutralize dangerous influenza viruses.
Plants Turned into Antibody Factories
Instead of using expensive mammalian cell culture systems commonly used in pharmaceutical manufacturing, the scientists used a plant known as Nicotiana benthamiana. This plant is widely used in biotechnology because it can quickly produce complex proteins.
The researchers inserted the genetic instructions for the CR9114 antibody into the plants. Within a few days, the plant leaves began producing the antibody molecules.
Testing showed that the highest antibody production occurred around four days after the plants were infiltrated with the genetic material. The plant tissue produced approximately 600 micrograms of antibody per gram of fresh leaf material, demonstrating efficient production levels.
After extraction and purification, laboratory analysis confirmed that the plant-produced antibody assembled correctly into a complete human IgG antibody structure, including the expected heavy and light chains.
Strong Activity Against Dangerous Bird Flu Viruses
The team then tested whether the plant-produced antibody could recognize and neutralize real influenza viruses.
Laboratory experiments confirmed that the antibody strongly bound to the hemagglutinin protein of an H5N1 influenza virus strain. This demonstrated that the plant-derived antibody maintained its ability to identify the virus target.
Further testing evaluated the antibody against two important avian influenza strains linked to human infections: A/Jiangsu/NJ210/2023 (H5N1) and A/Gansu/23277/2019 (H7N9).
The results showed particularly strong neutralization of the H5N1 virus, indicating that the antibody was highly effective against this dangerous strain. The antibody also neutralized the H7N9 virus, although the activity was somewhat lower.
Scientists note that such differences are expected due to structural variations among influenza virus groups.
Advantages of Plant Based Antibody Production
Plant-based manufacturing systems offer several advantages compared to traditional pharmaceutical production methods. Antibodies can be produced much more quickly, sometimes within only five to seven days.
The system is also less expensive and easier to scale up during health emergencies. Large quantities of therapeutic antibodies could potentially be produced rapidly using agricultural facilities rather than expensive bioreactors.
Another advantage is the ability to modify the antibody’s sugar molecules, known as glycosylation patterns, which can enhance immune activity and improve how the antibody functions in the body.
Conclusion
The findings demonstrate that plant-based biotechnology can successfully produce a powerful influenza-neutralizing antibody while preserving its structural integrity and antiviral activity. The plant-derived CR9114 antibody effectively neutralized highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses, particularly H5N1, showing that this production system can generate functional therapeutic antibodies capable of targeting dangerous emerging strains. These results highlight the potential of plant molecular pharming as a rapid and scalable platform for producing antiviral therapies, strengthening global preparedness for future influenza outbreaks and possible pandemics.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Vaccines.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/14/3/222
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/h5n1-avian-flu
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