Molecular farming in plants: Oilseeds as vehicles for the production of pharmaceutical proteins

The advantages and limitations of plant-based systems for the production of recombinant biopharmaceutical proteins are discussed in the context of other host production systems presently available. A novel approach for the purification of recombinant proteins expressed in oilseeds is described that is based on the targeting of these proteins to seed oil bodies. The utility of this approach is demonstrated by the purification of the anticoagulant protein hirudin, produced in seeds of Brassica napus. Drug Dev. Res. 42:172–181, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.