The time may not be long when vaccines against some infectious diseases can be prepared as "cuisines".

Such plant-derived "edible cuisines" may be possible in three to five years, as the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) and UP Los Baños (UPLB) are now collaborating in this scientific endeavor.

Clinical trials on such vaccines are under way in some laboratories in the country, it was reported by the Los Baños-based Department of Science and Technology'-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCARRD).

Edible vaccines are foreseen to be consumed in dried products or powder form placed in sachets for mixing with food or drinks.

At a recent science forum on biotechnology research and regulation, Dr. Nina Gloriani Barzaga, UPM professor of medical microbiology and microbial immunology, said that edible vaccines are cost-effective and reliable in production and delivery, especially for developing countries like the Philippines.

Compared with injectable vaccines, edible vaccines are easier, simpler, and cheaper to administer and are more acceptable to the public.