A Danish research team has cracked the full biosynthesis of Taxol enabling cheaper and eco-friendly production in yeast.
Taxol is one of the most trusted chemotherapy drugs for treating breast, ovarian, cervical, and lung cancers. Yet making this life-saving medicine has been anything but simple. The current production method is costly, complicated, and places a heavy burden on the environment because it relies on an intricate chemical semi-synthesis.
For more than 30 years, scientists around the world have been chasing a big question: How does Taxol, a natural compound from the Pacific yew tree, form in nature? Cracking this mystery could open the door to producing Taxol through biotechnology, offering a faster, greener, and more affordable solution.
Now, researchers at the University of Copenhagen have discovered the two missing enzymes that complete the final steps of Taxol’s biosynthetic pathway. These enzymes are the key to making Taxol biologically active and ready to fight cancer.
“Taxol has been the Holy Grail in this research field for decades because it’s an exceptionally complex molecule. But with the discovery of the final two enzymes, we now fully understand how it’s formed. This has allowed us to develop a biotechnological method to produce Taxol in yeast cells,” says Sotirios Kampranis, Professor at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences and senior author of the study published in Nature Synthesis.
The method works by cloning the genes responsible for producing Taxol from the yew tree and inserting them into yeast cells. Once engineered, these yeast cells act as host organisms or micro-factories, containing the complete set of instructions needed to produce Taxol.
Affecting women in developing countries
The research team at the University of Copenhagen has applied for a patent on the method and is currently working to launch a spin-out company that will produce biosynthetic Taxol.
“Using this method, we can produce Taxol cheaper than current conventional methods. Looking ahead, once we refine the process further, we expect to be able to reduce the cost by half,” says Assistant Professor and first author Feiyan Liang.
Lower prices are especially crucial as ovarian cancer is on the rise globally. The prevalence of the disease is expected to increase by over 55 percent by 2050, with the vast majority of cases in low and middle-income countries. The number of women dying from ovarian cancer is projected to rise by nearly 70 percent in the same period.
Currently, Taxol costs more than USD 20,000 per kilogram, making it one of the most expensive active pharmaceutical ingredients in use.
“We see increasing demand for Taxol in many developing countries, where the high price is a major barrier. We hope our work will contribute to lower-priced drugs so that more people can have access to cancer treatment,” Feiyan Liang says.
Much more sustainable
The new method is not only more cost-effective but also more sustainable than chemical synthesis. One advantage is that the procedure does not involve harmful chemicals and solvents common in chemical production.
Another advantage is that it allows the use of more crude, less purified extracts from yew needles as starting material, much cheaper than the ultra-pure inputs required in chemical semi-synthesis. On top of that, the materials can be recycled.
“We want to show that it’s possible to build a biotechnological drug production that is both sustainable and low-cost. There are very few examples of that today, but we now have the foundation to make it happen,” says Sotirios Kampranis.
Reference: “Elucidation of the final steps in Taxol biosynthesis and its biotechnological production” by Feiyan Liang, Yuman Xie, Chi Zhang, Yong Zhao, Mohammed S. Motawia and Sotirios C. Kampranis, 30 April 2025, Nature Synthesis.
DOI: 10.1038/s44160-025-00800-z
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