Browsing by Author "Smith, L. M. J."

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    Developing an alternative UK industrial crop Artemisia annua, for the extraction of artemisinin to treat multi-drug resistant malaria.
    (The Association of Applied Biologists, 2010) Smith, L. M. J.; Bentley, S.; Jones, H.; Burns, C.; Arroo, R. R. J.; Woolley, J. G.
    Over the last 5 years, new Artemisia annua lines have been produced with increased artemisinin levels, where the artemisinin yield (expressed as percentage artemisinin, by weight in harvested dried leaves) increased from 1.2-2.2%. In addition to these genetic improvements, agronomic techniques that improve the overall yield of artemisinin and increase seed yield have also been achieved. Techniques for accurate measurement of artemisinin have been considered and the presence of additional compounds, which could impact on accurate measurement of the active pharmaceutical ingredient. The genetic and agronomic improvements reported here suggest that artemisinin yields in commercial production could be raised to 60 kg ha-1, a figure that compares well with the 2010 industry average of 24 kg ha-1.
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    Developing Artemisia annua for the extraction of artemisinin to treat multi-drug resistant malaria
    (National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 2016-09) Arroo, R. R. J.; Atkinson, C. J.; Bentley, S.; Burns, C.; Davies, M. J.; Dungey, N.; Flockhart, I.; Hill, C.; Robinson, T.; Smith, L. M. J.; Woolley, J. G.
    Semi-synthetic derivatives of the sesquiterpene artemisinin have worldwide become the main treatment for P. falciparum malaria. Artemisinin-combination therapies (ACTs), containing artemether or artesunate combined with non-isoprenoid drugs, are recommended as first line treatment by the World Health Organization, particularly in areas where resistance against quinine and quinine analogues has developed. Whereas methods for the total synthesis of artemisinin have been developed, artemisinin extracted from the leaves of Artemisia annua L. (Asteraceae) is still the preferred source for commercial production of antimalarial drugs. The biosynthetic pathway of artemisinin is well-known and a number of genes that regulate artemisinin biosynthesis have been identified. Various attempts have been made to enhance the yield of artemisinin in crops or plant cell cultures through the use of genetic engineering. Another approach has been semi-synthesis of artemisinin via artemisinic acid in genetically engineered yeast. Although genetic engineering holds a great promise for the future, currently the largest improvements in artemisinin yield have been obtained through creation of high-yielding varieties by classical breeding programs combined with modern agricultural production techniques.
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    Screening a diverse collection of Artemisia annua germplasm accessions for the antimalarial compound, artemisinin.
    (Cambridge University Press, 2012) Cockram, J.; Hill, C.; Burns, C.; Flockhart, I.; Robinson, T.; Dungey, N.; Bentley, S.; Arroo, R. R. J.; Woolley, J. G.; Atkinson, C. J.; Davies, M. J.; Greenland, A. J.; Smith, L. M. J.
    The antimalarial drug artemisinin (ART) is commercially extracted from the medicinal plant Artemisia annua L. Here, we report the screening of 70 A. annua plants representing 14 diverse germplasm accessions sourced from around the world, and identify lines containing >2% ART. These extremely high-yielding individuals have been maintained as vegetative clones, and they represent promising germplasm resources for future A. annua breeding programmes.