IIT-M & IIT Mandi researchers metabolically engineer plant cells to increase production of anti-cancer drug Camptothecin

CHENNAI: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) on Thursday informed that their researchers in collaboration with IIT Mandi have metabolically engineered the plant cells of Nothapodytes nimmoniana to increase the production of Camptothecin, which is used to treat cancer.

“The researchers from the Plant cell technology lab of IIT-M have developed a genome-scale metabolic model for N. nimmoniana plant cells using computational tools. This can be a major boost to produce cancer-treating drugs as Camptothecin, the third most in-demand alkaloid, is commercially extracted in India from Nothapodytes nimmoniana, which is an endangered plant,” a release from IIT-Madras read.

“This platform technology for model-based rational metabolic engineering of plant cells can be adapted to enhance the production of many other high-value phytochemicals as well. This study can pave the way for effective and efficient commercial production of camptothecin and other medicinally important monoterpene indole alkaloids, with reduced dependence on nature,” said professor Smita Srivastava of IIT-M.

In a research paper published in 2021, IIT-M researchers identified a microbe as a sustainable and high-yielding alternative source for the plant-derived anti-cancer drug Camptothecin.

Nearly 1,000 tons of plant material is required to extract just one ton of Camptothecin.

Due to extensive overharvesting to meet the market demand its major plant sources are now red-listed as per IUCN. The N. nimmoniana population has seen more than a 20 per cent decline in the last decade alone.