Genetically engineered tobacco plants can produce human proteins to combat the deadly rabies virus, reveals a study by US and UK researchers as reported in New Scientist. The rabies virus is passed to humans bitten by an infected animal and can lie dormant for weeks or even years in extreme cases before causing the fatal illness. It can only be prevented by specific antibodies derived from either horses or humans who have already had the disease. Hilary Koprowski at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and colleagues have now successfully inserted DNA coding for the human antibody against rabies into tobacco plants. Full article here.