Transgenic: animals, 883 crops plants

Transgenic plant technology holds great promise. Several crops including corn, tobacco, potato, and soybean have been studied for the production of antibodies and proteins. The product, especially antibodies, concentrates in the corn kernels, and is easily separated. The systems are safe in terms of virus transmission, because plant viruses do not survive in animals. The one concern is the ability to keep the plants isolated from other crops. The pharm plant products, as they are called, cannot be allowed into the food chain. So currently, these plants are not grown in any food producing areas. 

Plant cells can also be used to mass-produce human proteins. Com, soybean, and tobacco plants have been used in this way. The yield of protein from plants is generally higher than that from animals however, human cells link carbohydrates to some antibodies, and these molecules cannot yet be produced in plants. Transgenic crops that are harvested for food are far more common than those used to produce human proteins. 

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