Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, creating an urgent need for innovative, scalable, and cost-effective therapeutic strategies. Monoclonal antibodies have transformed modern oncology by enabling highly specific targeting of tumor-associated antigens and immune checkpoint pathways. However, their production in conventional mammalian cell systems remains expensive and requires extensive infrastructure. Plant molecular bioengineering has emerged as a promising alternative platform for the production of recombinant biopharmaceuticals, offering advantages such as rapid scalability, reduced manufacturing costs, biosafety, and flexible expression systems. This review summarizes recent developments in the production of plant-based anticancer biologics, with particular emphasis on therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and immune checkpoint inhibitors. The review includes plant-derived antibodies targeting HER2, PD-1, and PD-L1, which have demonstrated structural integrity, antigen-binding capacity, and biological activity comparable to those of their mammalian-derived counterparts. In this study, we performed a comparative computational structural analysis of trastuzumab and pembrolizumab using experimentally determined antibody structures as references and computationally modeled plant-associated Fc glycoforms, with particular emphasis on Fc N-glycosylation and glycan solvent accessibility. Overall, advances in synthetic biology, precision glycoengineering, and controlled cultivation technologies highlight the potential of plant biofactories as promising platforms for the development of next-generation, affordable, and globally accessible cancer immunotherapies.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a severe threat to global health by limiting treatment options and increasing clinical and economic burdens. This review synthesizes evidence showing that resistance evolution is strongly shaped by antibiotic pressure, leading to the accumulation of adaptive mutations, activation of efflux systems, and widespread dissemination of resistance determinants across clinical, animal, and environmental settings. We highlight recent genomic, metagenomic, and structural findings that elucidate the molecular basis of AMR, with particular emphasis on horizontal gene transfer mediated by mobile genetic elements such as plasmids, integrons, and transposons. Analyses across One Health interfaces reveal extensive sharing of antimicrobial resistance genes among humans, livestock, and environmental reservoirs, identifying Enterobacteriaceae and ESKAPE pathogens as key hubs of resistance dissemination. Special focus is placed on Acinetobacter baumannii, where phylogenetic and three-dimensional structural analyses of class D β-lactamases OXA-23 and OXA-24/40 demonstrate a conserved catalytic framework coupled with substantial sequence and conformational variability. These structural differences likely influence carbapenem specificity and resistance levels. Collectively, the findings underscore how genetic diversity, mobile elements, and structural adaptation converge to drive AMR, reinforcing the need for integrated genomic and structural approaches to guide surveillance and antimicrobial development.

Microalgal molecular farming represents a promising platform for sustainable recombinant biopharmaceutical production. This review integrates advances in chloroplast engineering, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence with experimental evidence and comparative bioinformatic analyses. Chloroplast genomes from eight representative microalgal species were examined to evaluate genomic organization, phylogenetic relationships, and synteny relevant to genetic engineering. Experimental studies involving recombinant therapeutic proteins, antibodies, and vaccine antigens were reviewed to assess the potential of different microalgal expression systems. Additionally, ten biomedically relevant proteins were comparatively analyzed to characterize structural complexity, receptor-binding interfaces, and evolutionary conservation. Detailed structural analyses of erythropoietin (EPO), interferon-α2b (IFN-α2b), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) evaluated glycosylation-site accessibility, solvent-accessible surface area, intermolecular interactions, disulfide bonds, and structural conservation. The findings highlight protein-specific requirements for folding, post-translational modifications, and receptor recognition, emphasizing the importance of matching therapeutic protein characteristics with suitable microalgal expression strategies. Overall, this integrated approach provides a framework for rational host selection and the development of next-generation microalgal biofactories for recombinant biopharmaceutical production.

Detrás de cada botella de tequila o mezcal existe un equilibrio biológico que corre peligro. El agave no es sólo una materia prima; es una planta con un ciclo de vida épico que puede tardar décadas en culminar. Cuando se cosecha prematuramente para satisfacer la demanda, se impide el nacimiento del quiote, anulando la producción de semillas y dejando sin alimento a los murciélagos nectarívoros, sus polinizadores. Esta ruptura en la cadena natural reduce la diversidad genética y amenaza la supervivencia de los ecosistemas áridos. Entender la interdependencia entre la planta y sus visitantes nocturnos permite replantearnos nuestra forma de consumir. Al final del día, proteger el vuelo de los polinizadores es la única vía para garantizar que el mezcal siga siendo parte de nuestra cultura y nuestras celebraciones.

Agave cupreata es una especie endémica de México, de relevancia cultural y económica utilizada en la producción de mezcal. Actualmente, esta especie enfrenta desafíos de conservación debido a la cosecha intensiva de sus poblaciones naturales, por lo que resulta importante conocer su variabilidad genética. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar la variabilidad genética de A. cupreata en el estado de Guerrero, para generar información que contribuya al desarrollo de estrategias de conservación y manejo sostenible. Se analizaron tres poblaciones mediante marcadores moleculares AFLP con siete combinaciones de cebadores, encontrando un polimorfismo del 63,95 %. El análisis de la varianza molecular (AMOVA) mostró una diferenciación genética baja pero significativa entre poblaciones (?_ST = 0,043, p = 0,0002), mientras que la heterocigosidad esperada (HE = 0,3966-0,4102) indicó una diversidad genética moderada. El análisis bayesiano identificó dos grupos genéticos. Los resultados muestran alta variabilidad genética intrapoblacional y diferenciación moderada entre poblaciones, lo que resalta la importancia de conservar la diversidad genética de la especie.