Morphine-free poppy
A handful of genes in a morphine free poppy could hold the key to producing improved pain management pharmaceuticals. Norman, the no-morphine poppy, is superior to morphine producing poppies as it produces thebaine and oripavine – compounds preferred by industry in the manufacture of alternative high value pain-killers.
CSIROs Dr Phil Larkin, and The Australian National Universitys Anthony Millgate and Dr Barry Pogson have been working with Tasmanian Alkaloids to investigate Norman the morphine-free poppy. "The genes we found behaved differently in Norman compared to standard morphine producing poppies and were consistently associated with the blockage in morphine synthesis and with the accumulation of thebaine and oripavine," Dr Larkin says.
"Understanding the genes responsible for the production of morphine, thebaine and oripavine is an important step in further developing poppies that are tailored to produce alternative pharmaceuticals."
The morphine free poppy variant, TOP1, was first discovered in 1995 by Tasmanian Alkaloids then released as Norman for commercial production in 1997 in Tasmania where it is now widely grown. "Norman created substantial industry growth when there was a surplus of traditional products, such as morphine, allowing us to supply raw materials for the manufacture of other pharmaceutical ingredients," says Tasmanian Alkaloids Manager of Agricultural Research, Dr Tony Fist.
Tasmania already grows over 40 per cent of the worlds legal poppy crops and Norman will ensure Tasmania stays an international leader in pharmaceutical development from poppy compounds.
This research is supported by voluntary contributions from industry with matched funding for R&D from the Australian Government through HAL and is a collaboration between CSIRO Plant Industry, The Australian National University, Tasmanian Alkaloids, Institute for Plant Biochemistry (Germany) and the University Halle (Germany).
Sophie Clayton | Source: EurekAlert!
Further information: www.csiro.au
More articles from Life Sciences:
First reconstitution of an epidermis from human embryonic stem cells
23.11.2009 | INSERM (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale)
Causative gene of a rare disorder discovered by sequencing only protein-coding regions of genome
23.11.2009 | University of Washington
UCSB physicists move 1 step closer to quantum computing
23.11.2009 | Physics and Astronomy
Fat around the middle increases the risk of dementia
23.11.2009 | Studies and Analyses
New discovery about the formation of new brain cells
23.11.2009 | Health and Medicine
Multidisciplinary meeting on Urological Cancers aims to benefit cancer patients
20.11.2009 | Event News
'Golden Age' for clinical psychology in Northern Ireland
20.11.2009 | Event News
New Perspectives in Marine Anti-Fouling Research
11.11.2009 | Event News