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Plant Cell Culture Technology for Production of the Anti-Cancer Agent Paclitaxel
Susan Roberts, University of Massachusetts Institute for Cellular Engineering
April 6, 2007
Abstract
The use of plant cell culture technology has shown great promise as an alternative means of production for valuable natural products, particularly secondary metabolites that serve as agricultural chemicals, dyes, flavors, and medicinals. However, low yields and variability in production put limits on the commercial use of this technology. Plant cell culture research has recently shifted from a focus on "random" optimization of culture environmental conditions to a focus on developing an understanding of secondary metabolism so that rational enhancement strategies can be effectively applied. The primary model system of use in our laboratory is the Taxus plant cell culture system for the production of the anti-cancer agent paclitaxel. Paclitaxel is a member of a family of related compounds known as taxanes. In Taxus suspension cultures, paclitaxel is often less than 10% of the total taxanes present. This low selectivity represents an excellent opportunity to increase overall accumulation. This talk will highlight our research-to-date on development of a superior process for production of the anti-cancer agent paclitaxel, focusing on the application of molecular approaches to identify rate-limiting steps in paclitaxel accumulation for metabolic engineering targets and the study of Taxus cell heterogeneity through population analysis using flow cytometry.
Biography
Susan C. Roberts is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and serves as director of the new Institute for Cellular Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University. She has received numerous honors including an NSF Career Award. Her laboratory is interested in the development and optimization of bioprocesses for the production of valuable plant-derived products and applies techniques of biochemistry, analytical chemistry, metabolic engineering, and most recently molecular biology to elucidate secondary metabolism and its regulation.