Replacing poppies

Western researchers lead the way in plant biochemistry.

by Gillian Steward

Peter Facchini sits at a cluttered little table in a small office at the University of Calgary. His arms bulge with muscles, his face is tanned, his jaw determined. He's looks more like Indiana Jones than a biochemist who is fascinated by the inner life of plants and spends a lot time in greenhouses.

But Facchini and a team of researchers at several Canadian universities are definitely exploring unknown territory. They are not only genetically decoding certain plants, they are identifying and cataloguing the functions of key genes and enzymes in those plants so they can be used to create new pharmaceuticals, foods, industrial chemicals or insecticides.

"The real leadership in the field of plant biochemistry is from Saskatchewan and west," Facchini says confidently, his small office belying his international reputation. This week he's off to Japan to speak about his findings.

Facchini, who was born and raised in Toronto and completed his PhD at U of T, first made a name for himself a few years ago when his team of researchers identified the genes that program cells and enzymes in the opium poppy to synthesize codeine, morphine and a variety of other pharmaceutically important alkaloids.

The opium poppy is the only source for these vitally important pain relievers. But it has earned a bad name for itself since morphine is also used to make heroin.

As it stands now, poppies must be sown and harvested so the codeine and morphine can be extracted. Some are grown for legal purposes in countries like Australia and France. But elsewhere, as in Afghanistan, they are cultivated to supply the illegal drug market; fields in that war-torn country produce five to six times the volume of the legal trade.

Facchini's research actually makes it possible to produce codeine and morphine in factory-like settings that could be easily regulated, contained and protected.

It was Facchini's work with the opium poppy that led to an even bigger research project. For the past three years he has co-led with Vince Martin, a microbiologist/chemical engineer at Concordia University in Montreal, a team of scientists at universities across Canada who are decoding and cataloguing the genetic material of 75 plants that have medicinal and other beneficial properties.

The $13 million project is funded mainly by Genome Canada, a federal government agency, and provincial counterparts in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec.

"We are not just producing gene sequences — everybody is doing that now. We are actually cataloguing the functions of various enzymes in the plants," says Facchini.

This will enable scientists to engineer new combinations of genes and enzymes to produce a synthetic micro-organism. "If we can do it for morphine, we can do it for anything," adds Facchini, who has called Calgary home since 1995.

Needless to say, there is a lot of controversy about synthetic biology. Where does it stop? If it can be used to produce beneficial products, couldn't it also be used to produce harmful ones such as deadly bacteria or viruses?

Facchini is well aware of all the ethical dilemmas presented by synthetic biology, since his current research project includes exploration of those issues.

But he's also adamant that Canadians need to move quickly to patent the intellectual property that is being funded by taxpayers and developed here by scientists such as himself.

"Canada should take a lead in producing synthetic codeine and morphine, since per capita Canadians are amongst the world's leading consumers of codeine both as prescription and over-the-counter medications," says Facchini, a Canada Research Chair in Plant Metabolic Processes Biotechnology.

"But we import it all," he continues with more than a hint of frustration in his voice, "when we could actually be producing it ourselves. Why is it that we are so eager to sell our raw resources, and yet when we have an opportunity to manufacture an important medication we pass it by? We could create new jobs, a new manufacturing base."

The missing element is money. Universities don't have enough of it and the pockets of Canadian investors aren't as deep as those in the US, where synthetic biology is already being used for commercial purposes.

The Gates Foundation put up $42 million to research the production of semi-synthetic artemesinin, an anti-malarial compound produced by the wormwood plant.

"The momentum is here," says Facchini, as he emphatically taps the cluttered table. "We're good at this… it's important for Canada to be seen as a leader."

If we are willing to enter a brave new world, Peter Facchini is more than ready to take us there.

© Copyright 2012 Gillian Steward, All rights Reserved. Written For: StraightGoods.ca