High-level semi-synthetic production of the potent antimalarial artemisinin | Nature
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is engineered to produce high concentrations of artemisinic acid, a precursor of the artemisinin used in combination therapies for malaria treatment; an efficient and practical chemical process to convert artemisinic acid to artemisinin is also developed.
Subjects Metabolic engineering Synthetic biology This article has been updated Abstract In 2010 there were more than 200 million cases of malaria, and at least 655,000 deaths 1 . The World Health Organization has recommended artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum . Artemisinin is a sesquiterpene endoperoxide with potent antimalarial properties, produced by the plant Artemisia annua . However, the supply of plant-derived artemisinin is unstable, resulting in shortages and price fluctuations, complica
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