According to a recent research by US scientists, tobacco plants can be used to produce an inexpensive, quick and easy-to-administer 'nasal spray' vaccine against an annoying stomach virus -the so-called 'cruise ship virus' or 'norovirus'.

The tobacco-based new vaccine production technique has been used by the scientists to develop the said vaccine for the bacteria that causes diarrhea and vomiting, particularly on ships, and in schools, restaurants and hospitals.

Though the norovirus is not a life-threatening condition, it definitely is "just very, very inconvenient," as described by Charles Arntzen, a plant biologist at Arizona State University, while addressing a news conference at the American Chemical Society meeting.

Arntzen and colleagues, who used a genetically engineered plant virus - tobacco mosaic virus - to develop their vaccine, opine that the vaccine works better as a nasal spray than an oral medication, probably because immune cells in the nasal passages take up the vaccine more easily.

Noting that "2009-2010 are going to be breakthrough years for plant technology in the vaccine field," Arntzen said scientists are expecting to convert their work, pertaining to norovirus vaccine, for similar vaccines for bird and swine flus.

Meanwhile, ImmuneRegen BioSciences, an IR BioSciences Holdings' subsidiary, said on Tuesday that it had collaborative liaison with Arizona State University, whereby it would use its immune system booster Viprovex with the norovirus vaccine.