Plant-derived small molecules, including alkaloids, are important active compounds in pharmaceutical products. Many of these molecules, such as the anticancer drugs paclitaxel and vinblastine, or the antimalaria medications artemisinin and quinine are listed as essential medicines by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Most industry-relevant alkaloids are exclusively produced through agricultural cultivation and chemical extraction with the former being heavily impacted by environmental factors like pests, diseases, weather, and drought. Political stability and transportation influence supply chain resilience, as alkaloid production is limited to regions optimal for host plant cultivation. Consequently, availability of plant alkaloid-based medication is severely limited in many developing countries.
To mitigate environmental and economic risks, farming-independent production approaches are investigated. For most alkaloids chemical synthesis is not an economically viable alternative due to their complex stereochemistry. Similarly, production in genetically modified microbial hosts (E. coli, yeast) failed economically for most alkaloids due to low product yield.