Scientists at the University of York, UK, have published the first genetic map of Artemisia annua, a medicinal herb which is used for malaria treatment. The genetic map now makes it possible to speed up plant breeding of Artemisia; rapidly developing it into a high-yielding crop. This breakthrough is crucial if we want to meet the ever-growing demand for effective malaria treatments.
Malaria, a preventable and treatable disease, is still responsible for an estimated nearly one million deaths every year globally. ACTs (Artemisinin Combination Therapies) are the most effective drugs for treating the disease. Increased funding for malaria treatments means that ACTs demand is estimated to double from last year’s figures to about 200 million treatments by 2012.
Artemisinin is extracted from the plant Artemisia annua; however, yields so far have been low, making the product expensive. Planting areas have declines because Artemisia production has been uneconomic. This drop has raised fears of shortages.
Plant scientists at the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP) in the Department of Biology at the University of York are addressing this problem by using molecular technologies to rapidly improve the Artemisia crop. In the latest issue of Science, they publish the first genetic map of this species, plotting the location on the plant’s genome of genes, traits and markers associated with high performance. This will enable scientists to recognise young plants as high performers from their genetics. It will also inform the selection of suitable parent plants for breeding experiments.
The map has been validated in glasshouse experiments that found the top-performing plants had elevated frequencies of genetic indicators for high yield. The project is led by Professor Dianna Bowles and Professor Ian Graham. Professor Graham says “The map is already proving to be an essential tool for us. With our new understanding of Artemisia genetics, we can produce improved, non-GM varieties of Artemisia much faster than would otherwise be possible.” This speed is essential. “We intend to get high-yielding seed to farmers in the next 2-3 years in order to supply soaring demand for malaria treatments” explains Professor Dianna Bowles. “This is a really tight deadline and we can only do it with the benefit of the new knowledge provided by the map.” The work demonstrates how modern genetics is shortening the timescales needed to turn a wild plant species into a domesticated crop.
The scientists at York are creating the new varieties for use by many thousands of small scale growers in the developing world, for whom the Artemisia crop is an important source of income. The project has just received its second grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This grant will support final development of the new varieties and their delivery to Artemisia producers in Africa and Asia.
Source: The University of York
Edited by Christian Nordqvist