Newly discovered plant genes could slash

新发现的植物基因或能大幅降低关键抗癌药物的制造成本

Shifting production from yew trees to yeast could lead to cheaper synthesis of Taxol precursor

将生产从紫杉树转移到酵母,或可实现更廉价的紫杉醇前体合成

By Robert F. Service

作者:Robert F. Service

11 Jun 2025 11:03 AM ET

2025年6月11日上午11:03(美国东部时间)

Paclitaxel is one of the most important drugs in the fight against cancer. Millions of patients have received the compound over the past 3 decades, and it generates billions of dollars in sales each year. But paclitaxel, better known as Taxol, is hard and expensive to make. Chemists must first purify a precursor, called baccatin III, from the needles of the English yew, a long-lived tree found in cemeteries and topiary gardens. Further chemical tweaks to it result in the final drug.

⋯ 继续阅读请登录会员 ⋯