Given the dramatic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to divulge all the available technologies with the potential to fight against this virus. Plant biotechnology offers potential solutions to this pandemic through the development of low-cost vaccines and antibodies useful for therapy, prophylaxis, and diagnosis. The technology to produce plant-made biopharmaceuticals is already established; two examples of these are: a therapeutic enzyme that has entered the market and the influenza vaccines that are currently under clinical trials with encouraging results. Thus far, some companies have started developing anti-COVID-19 antibodies and vaccines. In particular, plant-made antibodies might be timely produced and approved for human use in the short term, while the development of vaccines will take longer time (clinical evaluations could be concluded by the end of 2021); nonetheless, the candidates obtained will be valuable tools for future outbreaks. The key aspects that will define the exploitation of this technology in the fight against COVID-19 are discussed.

中文翻译：

---

在对抗COVID-19的斗争中，植物制成的生物药物会发挥作用吗？

鉴于COVID-19大流行的巨大影响，必须透露所有可能与这种病毒作斗争的可用技术。植物生物技术通过开发可用于治疗，预防和诊断的低成本疫苗和抗体，为这一大流行病提供了潜在的解决方案。生产植物性生物制药的技术已经建立；其中两个例子是：已进入市场的治疗性酶和目前正在临床试验中并获得令人鼓舞结果的流感疫苗。迄今为止，一些公司已经开始开发抗COVID-19抗体和疫苗。尤其是植物性抗体可能会在短期内及时生产并批准用于人类，疫苗的开发将花费更长的时间（临床评估可在2021年底之前完成）；尽管如此，获得的候选人将成为未来爆发的宝贵工具。讨论了将在与COVID-19对抗中定义该技术开发的关键方面。