Getting a vaccination could soon be as simple as eating a potato. Researchers at the University of Maryland, led by Dr.Carol Tacket, are developing edible vaccines that could grant immunity against some diseases.
To be inoculated against a virus, bacterium, or toxin, the antibodies of our immune systems must be exposed to the illness-bearing agent, or pathogen. Vaccines work by exposing the body to pathogens that have been killed or disarmed. Once sensitized antibodies can mobilize rapidly against familiar enemies by binding to them and preventing their growth and activity.