Decoding genes to create analgesics in opium

Scientists at the University of Calgary, Canada, have published in Nature Chemical Biology that they have deciphered one of the genetic secrets of opium.

Professor Peter Facchini and colleagues study in the poppy garden.

This finding may open up the prospect of modifying pain relievers at cheaper costs.

Biology professor Peter Facchini said he and his colleague Jillian Hagel discovered two very special genes that help opium produce two pain-reducing substances, codeine and morphine.

This is a big step in comparison with the discovery of a gene involved in cancer or other genetic disorders.

Using high-tech scanning devices, researcher Hagel categorized about 23,000 different opium genes.

By February last year, the researcher identified a gene called "codeine O-demethylase" , which produced plant enzymes that converted codeine into morphine.

Codeine is one of the substances used primarily in the production of painkillers around the world.

In Canada, every year, consumers spend more than $ 100 million to buy drugs containing codeine./.