Molecular Farming of Plants and Animals for Human and Veterinary Medicine

Book excerpt: Molecular farming has been hailed as the "third wave" of genetically-modified organisms produced through biotechnology for the bio-based economy of the future. Unlike products of the first wave, such as herbicide resistant crop plants, which were perceived to benefit only the farmers who used them and the agrochemical companies who developed them, products of molecular farming are designed specifically for the benefit of the consumer. Such products could be purified from food or non-food organisms for a range of applications in industry, as well as animal and human health. Alternatively, the products of this technology could be consumed more directly in some edible format, such as milk, eggs, fruits or vegetables. There is a rapidly-growing interest Qn the part of the public as well as in the medical community in the role food plays in health, especially in the immunophysiological impact of food over and above the role of basic nutrition.