Plant cell cultures are a potential source of important secondary metabolites such as medicinals. Currently, low productivities have impeded the commercialization of a broad range of target compounds. The compound targeted by this proposal is taxol, an exceptionally promising anti-cancer agent for ovarian cancer. Taxol is currently extracted from the bark of a threatened plant species, is too complex for chemical synthesis, and is currently in very short supply. Taxol is produced in tissue cultures, but a ten to hundred fold improvement in productivity is required for commercial feasibility. The proposed research may lead to a commercial process for the production of taxol by plant tissue culture.
