healthUpdated: Jul 14, 2020 20:06 ISTMedicago Inc. has been using plants to develop potential vaccines for more than two decades. “It’s a real watershed moment for us as the new kid in town.”Medicago relies on an Australian plant that’s a close relative to tobacco, known as nicotiana benthamiana, to develop vaccines. The plant has a weakened immune system that allows it to easily host genetic material and develop particles that mimic a virus. After focusing on the tobacco-adjacent plant, Medicago went public in 2006. In 2009 it began using the technology to develop a shot to counter the H1N1 pandemic.

Source: Hindustan Times July 14, 2020 14:26 UTC