Wicker and Wilde are necessarily afraid of needles but we aren't a big fan of them for sure. But a lot of people don’t get vaccinated for that reason: they don’t like needles. It will actually stop some people from protecting themselves from everything from tetanus to COVID. Well, now researchers at the University of California-Riverside are working to remove that objection in an unusual way – growing edible plants that carry the same medication as an mRNA vaccine.
Messenger RNA technology (mNRA) is used not only with the coronavirus but many other viral hazards, and is an integral part of many inoculations. While cold storage is needed for these vaccines, the researchers have a $500,000 grant in hand from the National Science Foundation to discover how to keep vaccines viable at room temperatures. There are other hurdles, like determining dosage, but if successful, the scientists envision whole fields of vaccine-carrying plants in the future.
We can't wait to eat up!
