Molecular farming is a biotechnological approach that includes the genetic adjustment of
agricultural products to create proteins and chemicals for profitable and pharmaceutical
purposes. Plant molecular farming describes the manufacture of recombinant proteins and other
biologically active product in plants. This approach depends on a genetic transformation of
plants that can be accomplished by the methods of stable gene transfer such as gene transfer
to nuclei and chloroplasts and unstable transfer methods like viral vectors. The requirement
for recombinant proteins in terms of quality quantity and diversity is increasing
exponentially This demand is traditionally met by recombinant protein construction technologies
and the engineering of orthodox expression systems based on bacteria or mammalian cell
cultures. However majority of developing countries cannot afford the high costs of medicine
derived from such existing methods. Hence we need to produce not only the new drugs but also
the cheaper versions of those already present in the market. Plant molecular farming is
considered as a cost-effective technology that has grown and advanced tremendously over the
past two decades. This book summarizes the advances and challenges of plant molecular farming
for all those who are working on or have an interest in this rapidly emerging area of research.
