Researchers engineer plant cells to produce drug for cancer

Sources: This post is based on the article “Researchers engineer plant cells to produce drug for cancer” published in “The Hindu” on 5 January 2024.

Why in News?

Researchers at the Indian Institutes of Technology Madras and Mandi have metabolically engineered plant cells to increase the production of anti-cancer drug camptothecin (CPT).

What was Done in the Research?

1) Camptothecin, an allopathic medicine, is produced using Nathapodytes nimmoniana, a native, endangered plant.
Note- The IUCN has red-listed this plant as in the past decade alone there has been a 20% decline in the plant’s population.

2) The Plant Cell Technology Lab of IIT Madras researchers have developed a genome-scale metabolic model for N. Nimmoniana plant cells using computational tools.

3) Researchers have grown cultures of the plant in the lab and extracted cells from the plant. These cells are then genetically engineered to augment the production of CPT.

4) In 2021, researchers at IIT Madras identified a microbe as a sustainable and highly productive alternative source for CPT.

What is the Significance of this Research?

1) It offers an alternative and sustainable source for Camptothecin, thereby contributing to the production of vital cancer-treating drugs.

2) The technology employed for model-based rational metabolic engineering of plant cells can also be adapted to enhance the production of many other high-value phytochemicals (chemicals produced from plants).

3) This will help to conserve natural resources and reduce dependency on nature.

What is Camptothecin (CPT)?

1) Camptothecin (CPT) is an important anti-cancer drug lead molecule for high-value drugs like Topotecan and Irinotecan.

2) It is extracted mainly from Camptotheca acuminata (native to Eastern Asia) and Nothapodytes nimmoniana (native to India).

3) The Chinese variety of the plant used to extract the cell is listed as critically endangered. There are only 4,000 of the species left. In India the plant is a native of western ghats and in the last decade there was a 20% decline in population.

UPSC Syllabus: Science and technology