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Media from: MIT chemists engineer plants to produce new drugs

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Periwinkle plants
The periwinkle plant, also known as Catharanthus roseus, produces several compounds with medicinal properties, including the anticancer drug vinblastine.
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Sarah O'Connor and Weerawat Runguphan
MIT associate professor Sarah O’Connor, right, and graduate student Weerawat Runguphan have engineered periwinkle root cells that can produce variations of compounds that the plant normally synthesizes.
Photo: Patrick Gillooly
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