Researchers engineer plant cells to produce drug for cancer

Subject: Science and Tech

Section: Biotechnology

In the news:

Researchers from IIT Madras and Mandi worked on enhancing the production of the anti-cancer drug camptothecin (CPT) by metabolically engineering plant cells.

Details:

The decline in this plant’s population prompted the exploration of alternative sources.
IIT Madras researchers identified a microbe as a sustainable CPT source and developed a metabolic model for N. nimmoniana cells.
They aim to enable efficient commercial drug production, reducing the need to exploit endangered plants.
The team is funded by SERB and the Department of Science and Technology.
The process involves cultivating plant cells in the lab, engineering them for increased CPT production, and navigating regulatory approval for genetically modified cell lines. However, optimization at the bioreactor level is pending.

Significance of developing the novel process:

The importance of this research lies in providing a sustainable method for CPT production, given its significance in chemotherapy.
This work not only focuses on CPT but also sets a platform for enhancing the production of other valuable plant-derived compounds.
The collaborative effort between these institutions emphasizes the potential of model-based metabolic engineering in understanding and boosting the production of essential phytochemicals.

About Camptothecin (CPT):

It is a potent topoisomerase inhibitor discovered in 1966 from the Camptotheca acuminata tree in China. Initially used in traditional Chinese medicine, it exhibited promising anticancer properties in clinical trials, particularly against various cancers like breast, ovarian, colon, lung, and stomach.
Despite its therapeutic potential, challenges such as low solubility and adverse effects led to the development of synthetic versions and derivatives.
CPT has been discovered in other plants, such as Chonemorpha fragrans.
Currently, this drug is derived from the endangered Nathapodytes nimmoniana plant, requiring massive amounts of plant material.
Camptothecin’s current extraction mainly occurs in Southeast Asia, where the plant is critically endangered.