Better Meds: Scientists Identify Key Genetic Components for Morphine Synthesis

How poppies do their thing Morphine is potent, effective and in many cases the only pleasant aspect accompanying a visit to the surgeon. But the opium from which it is derived is the base ingredient for heroin and a politically problematic cash crop in places like Afghanistan. Now researchers working to unravel the morphine synthesis process have figured out two of the final, critical steps in that chain reaction, which could lead to better production methods and cheaper opiates like codeine and oxycodone -- not that we have any clear idea what these fantastic, euphoria-inducing painkillers do inside the body. The breakthrough centers on a couple of key enzymes that kick off the chemical reactions that convert the chemical precursors thebaine and codeine into morphine. The University of Calgary researchers identified the enzymes as well as the genes that encode them with their unique catalyzing capability, then used that information to verify...

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