Researchers develop process for producing malaria treatment on a large scale

Artemisinin, a Chinese medicine used to treat malaria that often faces issues with an unstable supply, can be rapidly produced at an industrial rate by genetically engineering moss, according to a recent study conducted by researchers from the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education the University of Copenhagen, the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Malaysia.

The compound is typically derived from Artemisia annua, a summer annual plant with a short growing season, and is colloquially known to gardeners as “sweet wormwood.” However, the plant’s complex nature makes the drug’s compound difficult and expensive to sufficiently synthesize into a malaria treatment.

While some researchers have previously attempted to synthesize the compound from cultivated tobacco plants and yeast, neither source could decrease the difficulty of the synthesizing process.

For the study, the researchers introduced five genes responsible for biosynthesizing the precursor of artemisinin, dihydroartemisinic acid, into a type of moss known as Physcomitrella patens by utilizing multiple DNA fragments. The final conversion of that acid into artemisinin occurs through a process called photooxidation within the moss cell.

Due to the moss’ simple structure and non-vascular characteristics, the researchers said it offered an ideal setting for genetically engineering drugs. They then began growing the genetically engineered moss in both liquid and solid mediums under 24-hour LED lights.

After three days, the researchers grew a “substantial” amount of its initial product, approximately 0.21mg/g dry weight of artemisinin. Eight days later, they were able to cultivate the highest accumulation of the substance.

“This moss produces like a factory,” Henrik Toft Simonsen, co-author of the study, said. “It produces artemisinin efficiently without the precursor engineering or subsequent chemical synthesis that yeast and tobacco require. This is what we hope for in science: a simple, elegant solution.”

The discovery can also potentially expand synthetic biotechnology through a genetically-enhanced plant-based platform, which can ultimately be scaled up for industrial production of other high-value compounds.

According to the study authors, the next steps involve optimizing the process, particularly in regards to reducing any unnecessary products, and ensuring the metabolic process is as efficient as possible.