Plant Molecular Farming for Biopharmaceutical Production and Beyond

Plant Molecular Farming (PMF) is an innovative field at the intersection of biotechnology, agriculture, and pharmacology, focusing on the use of plants to produce high-value biopharmaceuticals. Despite its potential, PMF faces several challenges, including low expression levels, product inconsistency, and scalability issues. Recent studies have shown promising advancements in plant genetic engineering and novel expression systems, which have significantly improved the yield, purity, and functionality of plant-derived pharmaceuticals. However, there remains a need for comprehensive research to address regulatory, economic, and ethical considerations, as well as to explore the successful commercialization and global impact of these plant-made pharmaceuticals.

This research topic aims to explore cutting-edge developments, innovative research, and future directions in Plant Molecular Farming. The main objectives include investigating recent advances in plant genetic engineering, novel plant expression systems, and downstream processing techniques that enhance the yield, purity, and functionality of plant-derived pharmaceuticals. Additionally, the research will address regulatory, economic, and ethical considerations, and provide case studies on the successful commercialization and global impact of plant-made pharmaceuticals. Specific questions to be answered include how to overcome challenges related to expression levels, product consistency, scalability, regulation, and industrial application.

To gather further insights in the field of Plant Molecular Farming, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Studies on novel applications of PMF, including vaccines, antibodies, biomarkers, biofortification, industrial enzymes, and commonly studied plant-derived recombinant proteins such as HSA, growth factors, and collagen.
- Highlighting challenges in regulation, purification, and contamination prevention to advance the field towards sustainable biopharmaceutical production.
- The integration of emerging technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9, synthetic biology, and AI-driven predictive modeling to revolutionize PMF processes.

Keywords: plant molecular farming, biopharmaceuticals, plant-biotechnology, PMF, CRISPR/Cas9

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.