Prof streamlines method of manufacturing cancer drug

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In a world where environmental consciousness is growing, creating an earth-friendly cancer drug should be a priority, MSU experts said.

That’s why chemistry and biochemistry and molecular biology assistant professor Kevin Walker has created a more efficient process to manufacture a leading cancer drug, known as paclitaxel, or Taxol.

Since 1967, Taxol has been synthesized using toxic solvents or fermenting the cell cultures from the needles of a plant known as the Pacific yew. The method relies on petroleum-based solvents that contain harmful chlorinated additives.

Walker’s production process uses the natural enzymes in Pacific yew needles, rather than synthesizing them. He said companies can manufacture the drug in a much more nature-friendly way using this process.

“Methods that utilize water-based solutions and enzyme catalysts can replace the dependence on organic solvents required to construct next-generation paclitaxel compounds,” he said. “Pharmaceutical companies could reduce the steps involved in making Taxol, while cutting chemical byproducts.”

Walker said by using natural chemicals, the manufacturers can manipulate the drug by attaching slightly different components on the molecular frame to create new Taxol variants, allowing for usage on a broader range of cancers and potentially on Alzheimer’s disease and tuberculosis.

“This process is like painting from a palette,” Walker said.

“We can add select colors to the palette from which the enzyme chooses, so the molecule can be crafted in a variety of ways. The enzyme does all the work.”

James Trosko, an MSU professor of human medicine, said questions about environmental friendliness often come up in medicine, but the drug that is cheapest and most effective usually wins out.

“All medicines can be found in nature and can be synthesized,” Trosko said. “Both cases use energy and they both end up just as effective. Professor Walker must have calculated this process has fewer steps and costs less money.”

Natural plant material science is becoming an increasingly important aspect of medicine, said Steve Pueppke, professor of plant pathology and director of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, which funded Walker’s research.

“The science and technology of plants and natural systems is becoming increasingly relevant in human medicine as scientists look for greater efficiencies and ‘greener’ ways of manufacturing drugs and other health care products,” he said.

Walker said the poor state of the world’s environment and economy make research into cheaper, more eco-conscious methods of production more important than ever.

“We are evolving from an era where something of higher benefit can be made without regard to cost and environmental impact in the production process,” he said. “If a method can be developed that is both cleaner and cost effective … the efforts will likely stem the rising cost of pharmaceuticals.”

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