Animal trials report on an edible insulin developed by Bangalore-based University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), has been rejected by the department of biotechnology (DBT) on the ground that India lacked test facilities for plant-produced insulin.

The insulin made from muskmelon by the University's department of biotechnology, has already gone though the animal trial phase and the results were favourable.

Despite the rejection by DBT, a team of US scientists who are using the same technique to produce edible plant hepatitis vaccine have now collaborated with UAS to conduct animal trials for insulin from muskmelon.

"Now the edible insulin will undergo another round of animal trials in July 2004 at Arizona Biodesign Centre, USA which is headed by Dr. Charles J Arntzen, who is recognised as the father of plant-based vaccine," Dr. PH Ramanjini Gowda, associate professor, department of biotechnology, University of Agricultural Sciences told Pharmabiz.com

The research for insulin from plants follow the developments made earlier by the UAS team for a rabies vaccine from the muskmelon for which DBT granted an Indian patent on the procedure of vaccine developed through 'transfer of gene into plants'.

Even the research methodology of plant-based insulin is the same as the plant-based rabies vaccine. However in the case of insulin it can be consumed by either eating it in powdered form or by extracting the protein and injecting it into the body, Dr. Gowda, informed.

In September 2003, Dr. Gowda presented his plant-based vaccine and insulin study at Rome during an International Plant Vaccine Symposium. A notable Italian scientist Dr. Maria Pezzoti was impressed because plant vaccines developed from muskmelon and groundnuts are non-toxic. Incidentally, Dr. Pezzoti was developing a rabies vaccine from tobacco which was proving unfeasible because it needed to be chewed and was carcinogenic. He lauded the UAS team for the rabies vaccine and insulin from edible plants. A memorandum of understanding has been signed with a US University through Dr. Pezzoti, where Dr. Gowda can also test the insulin on mice.

Currently the UAS scientists are researching on methods to inject the 'insulin gene' into plants so that the plant such as muskmelon and ground nuts can produce insulin.

The plant insulin research supported by the National Agricultural Technology Project, New Delhi has received funding of Rs. 29.8 lakh. But now the funding is stalled following DBT's rejection of the animal trial study. However, Dr. Gowda is confident of succeeding with the edible insulin research and is now persuading several scientific institutes for funds.

According to Dr. Gowda, the key benefits of the plant based vaccine and insulin are: no side effects and sans freezing or storage as it is preserved in the plant cell.

Dr. Gowda's rabies vaccine developed from muskmelon and tested at the WHO recognized lab in the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) has proved that purified protein is better than cell culture vaccine. The glycolisation studies of plant-produced vaccine are in progress at UAS lab where comparative analysis are on with commercial vaccines, he added.