Discovery and Engineering of Therapeutics from Plants
About This Grant
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Plant natural products (NPs) are a critical source of clinically approved drugs and dietary nutrients, yet very few complete biosynthetic pathways have been characterized. As a consequence, many complex plant natural product scaffolds are currently still isolated from the producing plant or plant cell culture and then converted to a clinically-used drug by semisynthetic routes (e.g. etoposide, digoxin, morphine, vinblastine, and paclitaxel – all on the 2015 WHO list of essential medicines). Lack of information regarding their biosynthetic pathways severely limits the use of promising new approaches to produce plant molecules in heterologous hosts (e.g. yeast strains that make artemisinin), as well as the intriguing possibility of engineering the biosynthetic pathways to access analogs and non-natural derivatives with greater efficacy. Our prior work has resulted in a platform for the discovery of plant biosynthetic pathways that result in products that comprise some of the most potent therapeutics used in the clinic. We’ve applied this pipeline to >6 different classes of plant metabolites that span phylogeny and much of the chemical diversity found in the plant kingdom. Included are the clinically-used drugs colchicine, galantamine, and taxol. Furthermore, this work has contributed to a logic of plant natural product biosynthesis that is fundamentally different from our understanding of plant metabolism from a decade ago. Going forward, we plan to leverage these recently discovered core biosynthetic pathways to (i) identify proteins that coordinate pathways in a cell and enable bio-based production of new therapeutics, (ii) characterize the mechanisms of plant natural products functioning in combination or as pathway intermediates, and (iii) discover new plant molecules that modulate animal development. A major outcome of this work will be sets of biosynthetic genes that can be used to engineer heterologous hosts to make plant NPs and analogs with potent biological activity of relevance to human health.
Grant Summary
Discovery and Engineering of Therapeutics from Plants is a NIGMS - National Institute of General Medical Sciences grant providing up to $421K for university, nonprofit, healthcare org. Applications are due 2031-03-31 (open). Check eligibility and apply with FindGrants.
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Focus Areas
Eligibility
How to Apply
Up to $421K
2031-03-31
- 1Confirm your organization is eligible for Discovery and Engineering of Therapeutics from Plants from NIGMS - National Institute of General Medical Sciences, checking organization type, location, and any population or project requirements.
- 2Gather the required documents and information, including your organization details, project plan, and budget figures.
- 3Draft your application narrative and budget addressing the funder's priorities and review criteria. FindGrants can draft each section for you to review and edit.
- 4Review every section against the requirements checklist, then export a submission-ready application pack and submit it to NIGMS - National Institute of General Medical Sciences before the deadline.
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Discovery and Engineering of Therapeutics from Plants: Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the Discovery and Engineering of Therapeutics from Plants?
Discovery and Engineering of Therapeutics from Plants is offered by NIGMS - National Institute of General Medical Sciences and is generally open to university, nonprofit, healthcare org. It is open to organizations nationwide unless the funder specifies otherwise. Review the specific eligibility terms before applying, since funders set their own requirements around organization type, location, and the population or project being served.
How much funding does the Discovery and Engineering of Therapeutics from Plants provide?
Discovery and Engineering of Therapeutics from Plants provides up to $421K per award from NIGMS - National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Actual award sizes depend on the scope of your project, available program funds, and the number of applicants, so build a budget that reflects realistic, allowable costs rather than the maximum figure.
When is the Discovery and Engineering of Therapeutics from Plants deadline?
Applications for Discovery and Engineering of Therapeutics from Plants are due 2031-03-31 (open). Because deadlines can change, verify the date with the funder, NIGMS - National Institute of General Medical Sciences, and give yourself enough time to prepare a complete, competitive application before the close date.
How do you apply for the Discovery and Engineering of Therapeutics from Plants?
To apply for Discovery and Engineering of Therapeutics from Plants, confirm your eligibility, gather the required documents, and prepare a narrative and budget that address the funder's priorities. FindGrants guides you step by step and can draft each section, then exports a submission-ready application pack for this grant from NIGMS - National Institute of General Medical Sciences.