Plant Stem Cell Cultures May Lower the Cost of Expensive Cancer Drugs

Results of a recently published study suggest that it may be possible to use plant stem cells to produce some types of anticancer drugs at a cost substantially less than required by current manufacturing methods.

Paclitaxel is a naturally occurring compound originally extracted from the bark of the Pacific yew tree (Taxus spp.). Due to high demand, paclitaxel is typically synthesized from the more abundant, naturally occurring compound 10-deacetyl baccatin III, which is extracted from the needles of yew plants. Paclitaxel and the closely related compound docetaxel belong to the group of taxoid chemicals. The two drugs disrupt microtubule function, which inhibits cell replication.

Investigators at the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom) isolated and cultured innately undifferentiated cambial meristematic cells (CMCs) from Taxus cuspidata, a rich source of paclitaxel. They reported in the October 24, 2010, online edition of the journal Nature Biotechnology that their method circumvented obstacles routinely associated with the commercial growth of dedifferentiated plant cells (DDCs). They suggested that their line of CMC cells eventually might provide a cost-effective and environmentally friendly platform for sustainable production of a variety of important plant natural products.

Senior author Dr. Gary Loake, professor of biological sciences at the University of Edinburgh, said, "Plants are a rich source of medicine – around one in four drugs in use today is derived from plants. Our findings could deliver a low-cost, clean, and safe way to harness the healing power of plants, potentially helping to treat cancer, and other conditions.”

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