Drugs for Humans Grown in Plant Cells

Today, I read an article about a new drug for humans that was approved by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration. The cool thing about this new drug is that it was genetically created into a plant cell. This is the first drug made like this that was approved by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration. The drug that was put into these plant cells is called Elelyso. Elelyso is a treatment for a disorder called Gaucher disease. This disease is a lysosomes storage disorder that can cause lung disease, easy bruising, and seizures. This amazing drug was accepted on Wednesday June 2, 2012. Even though this idea of using plant cells to make human enzymes isn’t the first, it shows that the FDA may allow future “bio-pharmed treatments”.

I feel that by getting the trust of the FDA, scientists can create more treatments using plant cells. By doing this, people will be able to receive treatments for diseases and disorders much faster. This will save time and money for treatments. Also, more and more drugs can be generated in plant cells and then given to patients. This process will make treatments easier for doctors and patients. Lastly, this gives another treatment option to patients. 

Picture: http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/Carrots.jpeg

Article: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-05/first-plant-derived-biologic-drug-approved-human-use-fda