First meeting of the Indiana-Kentucky Border Section
Unfortunately due to icy weather, this meeting is canceled; we hope to reschedule
Our first meeting will take place Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 7:00 PM in room 101 of Koch Center for Engineering and Science on the University of Evansville campus. Dr. Justin Miller, Indiana State University, will be our speaker. The title of his talk is: How do plants make medicines? Studies on cytochrome P450s in camptothecin biosynthesis. Below is an abstract of the talk and a link to his research web page.
Abstract: Unable to run away from their foes, plants have instead enlisted chemical armaments to defend themselves against predation. Numerous of these specialized metabolites have been harnessed by humanity and used as drugs owing to their potent bioactivities. I will discuss a small part of the biosynthesis of one such compound (camptothecin) already in use as a cancer chemotherapeutic. Specifically, I will describe my studies of cytochrome P450 enzymes from camptothecin-producing Camptotheca acuminata and how this work can enable improved production of camptothecin and related bioactive natural products.