Toxic Plants Yield Compounds with Medical Potential

Scientists have identified the chemical pathways in wolfsbane and larkspur, two poisonous plants, that produce compounds with potential medical applications. Researchers tracked thousands of genes to pinpoint six enzymes crucial for synthesizing atisinium, a complex compound. Recreating this process in tobacco plants offers a sustainable method to produce these rare molecules for testing, potentially leading to new treatments for pain, malaria, cancer, and agricultural pests.