Iran self-sufficient in human, livestock vaccine production

Iran has become self-sufficient in production of polio, mumps, measles, rubella, and DTP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis) vaccines.

Behzad Ghareyazie, Director General of Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII) told reporters on Tuesday that since the new cabinet assumed power, the growing pace of the Institute in producing vaccines slowed down; however, he noted that the Institute would resume production of transgenic rice, with industrial level production to begin by next year (beginning March 21 2016).

“Iran is the first country in the world to first produce transgenic rice,” said Ghareyazie, “in terms of the number of submitted and published scientific papers, Iran rules the Middle East roost; however, in global level, we have long way to reach the desirable level,” he added.

“Iran had been active in indigenously developing human and livestock vaccines, with self-sufficiency in many inter alia, polio, mumps, measles, rubella, and DTP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis) vaccines,” Ghareyazie asserted.

“We have accomplishments in livestock vaccines as well; Razi and Pasteur Institutes are the pioneers; now we produce potato minutubers through tissue culture and it is quite exportable; the core of the seeds is free of viri and pathogenic factors,” he said, “on stem cells and transgenic animals, the Institute have performed well, with transgenic yeanlings named ‘Shangoul,’ ‘Mangoul,’ and ‘Habbeh Angour’ which produce milk containing medically valuable molecules,” he detailed.

“We produced transgenic rice in 2004, and cultivated it in 2005; no pesticides would be used in producing process of transgenic product; apart from health, transgenic products are economically justified, yielding more crops,” Ghareyazie told reporters, announcing that the 3^rd Iranian Biotechnology Festival would be held in Tehran International Permanent Fairground, May 21-23.

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