Squalene, a compound that boosts vaccine effectiveness, is still partly sourced from shark livers—this project aims to grow it in plants instead. The problem is twofold. Many useful natural molecules, from anti-inflammatory steroids to crop-protecting triterpenoids, are either harvested unsustainably (sharks for squalene) or manufactured through environmentally damaging chemical processes. Others are so structurally complex that commercial-scale chemical synthesis is impossible. This project tackles that gap by turning a plant into a light-powered factory for squalene and related triterpenoids. If successful, the research could replace a supply chain that depends on shark fishing with a renewable, plant-based alternative. It could also produce pollinator-friendly pesticides that protect crops without harming bees, and enable scalable production of steroid medicines for inflammation and cancer. The tools developed will be shared as open resources, allowing other researchers to produce additional molecules. This is applied biotechnology with clear industrial partners. It does not explore fundamental biological questions—it optimises yields, tests scalability, and assesses economic feasibility. The impact is on manufacturing processes and supply chains, not on daily life directly, but on the systems that quietly deliver medicines and crop protection.
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Many small molecules or natural products produced by animals, plants and other organisms have utility in health and industry. However, access to these molecules can have negative consequences such as over-exploitation of the species in which that molecule is found, or environmental impacts from chemical manufacturing processes. Furthermore, many natural products are structurally complex and cannot be accessed by chemical synthesis, at least at commercial scale. This proposal will focus on the production of a group of structurally related triterpenoid molecules, some of which have uses in healthcare and others which have potential as pollinator-friendly alternatives to pesticides. These include: i) squalene, widely used to improve the effectiveness of drugs and the immune response to antigens, of which global demand is still partly met by extraction from sharks; ii) steroids used in medicine for treating inflammation and cancer; iii) triterpenoids found in plants that prevent insect-feeding and are of interest to industry as environmentally sustainable crop protection agents. In this project, we will demonstrate how a plant can be used as a light-powered manufacturing platform for producing squalene and squalene-derived molecules. Our efforts will be focussed on optimising yields; demonstrating that production can be scaled up; demonstrating the utility of compounds that are not yet commercially available; and investigating the technical and economic feasibility of large-scale production. This work will be carried out in collaboration with partners from industry, and will provide a pathway for commercial, social and environmental impacts. The tools and resources produced in this project will also be applicable for the production of many other molecules. These will be provided to the research community as reusable resources.
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