
Plant Scientists Boost Malaria Drug Yield in Plant
May 2, 2018 |
Scientists from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and other research institutions in China modified the genetic sequence of the plant Artemisia annua to make it produce high levels of a key drug for malaria. Their research study is published in Molecular Plant.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malaria has affected about 216 million people in 91 countries in 2016, and caused around 445,000 deaths all over the globe in the same year only. A. annua is the main source of artemisinin, the only WHO recommended treatment for the devastating disease. Thus, the researchers identified the genes involved in making artemisinin and modified the plant to make it produce three times more drug than the usual amount. They did this by simultaneously increasing the activity of three genes, HMGR, FPS, and DBR2.
Read more from BBC and Molecular Plant.
|
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Borlaug Global Rust Initiative Honors Women in Wheat Research
- WEMA Maize Shows Promising Resistance to Fall Armyworm in Mozambique
- Researchers Move Toward Better Understanding of Deadly Citrus Disease
- Cotton Research Goes to Space
- Research Unlocks Rice Gene Diversity for Food Security
- Plant Scientists Boost Malaria Drug Yield in Plant
- Why Grass Cereals Are More Drought-tolerant Than Other Plants
- Europe's Current Approach to Food, Agriculture, and the Environment Not Sustainable, say European National Science Academies
-
Research Highlights
- SlAGL6 Gene is Key to Parthenocarpy in Tomato
- PcWRKY33 Gene from Japanese Knotweed Reduces Salt Tolerance in Transgenic Arabidopsis
- Gene from Wild Peanut Enhances Biotic and Abiotic Resistance in Tobacco
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- The Effect of Single Metal Nanoparticles on Transformation Efficiency of Soybean
- FDA Approves Application for AquaBounty Salmon Facility in Indiana, USA
-
Announcements
- World Biotechnology Conference
-
Plant
- Wageningen University & Research Releases Booklet on New Plant Breeding Techniques
- CRISPR-Knockout of OsFAD2-1 Gene Improves Rice Bran Oil Health Benefits
- Japanese Researchers Establish New Cas9 Variant
- Early Leaf Senecence and Salt Stress Response Gene Found in Rice
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (February 12, 2025)
- Gene Editing Supplement (February 12, 2025)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet