Sowing the seeds of success: pharmaceutical proteins from plants.

Among the many plant-based production systems that have been developed for pharmaceutical proteins, seeds have the useful advantage of accumulating proteins in a relatively small volume and in a stable environment in which they are protected from degradation. Several seed crops, including cereals, grain legumes and oilseeds, have been explored as production platforms, and the first commercial products -- all technical proteins and enzymes -- have already reached the market. Recent studies have explored the use of seeds for the production of pharmaceutical proteins, particularly replacement human proteins, recombinant antibodies and (oral) vaccines.