Figure 1.

Procedures involved in obtaining an edible vaccine and an immune response. Edible vaccine development begins with the identification of the gene encoding the antigenic protein and its introduction into the plant that will process the food (edible vaccines), which can then potentially be distributed globally. After an edible vaccine has been consumed, and the subsequent passage of the antigenic protein through the M cells specialized in the delivery of antigens to dendritic cells, the individual’s immune system triggers a response involving B cells and T helper cells as the main factors. For simplicity, other routes of antigen delivery have been omitted. This figure was adapted from the work of Langridge [4].