EBioAct: Environmentally sustainable production of bioactive triterpenes

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Many small molecules or natural products produced by animals, plants and other organisms have utility in health and industry. However, access to these molecules can have negative consequences such as over-exploitation of the species in which that molecule is found, or environmental impacts from chemical manufacturing processes. Furthermore, many natural products are structurally complex and cannot be accessed by chemical synthesis, at least at commercial scale. This proposal will focus on the production of a group of structurally related triterpenoid molecules, some of which have uses in healthcare and others which have potential as pollinator-friendly alternatives to pesticides. These include: i) squalene, widely used to improve the effectiveness of drugs and the immune response to antigens, of which global demand is still partly met by extraction from sharks; ii) steroids used in medicine for treating inflammation and cancer; iii) triterpenoids found in plants that prevent insect-feeding and are of interest to industry as environmentally sustainable crop protection agents. In this project, we will demonstrate how a plant can be used as a light-powered manufacturing platform for producing squalene and squalene-derived molecules. Our efforts will be focussed on optimising yields; demonstrating that production can be scaled up; demonstrating the utility of compounds that are not yet commercially available; and investigating the technical and economic feasibility of large-scale production. This work will be carried out in collaboration with partners from industry, and will provide a pathway for commercial, social and environmental impacts. The tools and resources produced in this project will also be applicable for the production of many other molecules. These will be provided to the research community as reusable resources.